<;cD  0 


TKEOIOGICAL  SEi 


BV  3700  .M64  1899 

Modern  apostles  of 
missionary  byways 


Modern  Apostles 


OF 


Missionary  Byways 


^0  ur  moj^ 


y 


BY 


A.  C.  Thompson,  D.D.,  Bishop  W^P.  Walsh,  D.D.,  S.  J. 
"^  Humphrey,  D.D.,  Rev.  H.  P.  Beach,  Miss  A.  B. 
"Child  and  A.  T/  Pierson,  D.D. 


NEW  YORK 

STUDENT  VOLUNTEER  MOVEMENT 

FOR  FOREIGN  MISSIONS 

1899 


Copyright,  1899,  by 

STUDENT  VOLUNTEER  MOVEMENT 

FOR   FOREIGN  MISSIONS 


^:^:^ 


■m 


'S 


TITUS   CO  AN 

HANS  e(;i:de 

JAMICS   (ilLMOlK 


i:liza  a(;xi-:\v 
ali.i-:x  (".ardixkr 
lox  Ki:i  rii-i\\i.C()XFR 


PREFACE 

In  the  text-books  published  during  the  past  five  years  for  the 
use  of  the  Volunteer  Movement's  study  classes,  there  has  been 
little  place  for  the  consideration  of  fields  territorially  small,  or 
of  those  larger  ones  occupied  by  a  very  few  missionary  socie- 
ties, as  Persia  for  example.  To  give  classes  an  opportunity  to 
become  acquainted  with  some  of  these  lands,  and  also  to  come 
in  contact  with  those  strong  lives  that  have  impressed  them- 
selves upon  their  chosen  peoples,  the  present  book  has  been 
prepared. 

From  the  polar  ice  of  Greenland  and  South  America's  far- 
thest limit,  from  the  earlier  history  of  our  new  Hawaiian  posses- 
sions, as  well  as  from  the  nomads  roaming  the  Mongolian 
plateau,  stories  of  heroism  and  Christian  zeal  are  brought,  that 
should  inspire  the  young  men  and  women  of  our  day,  no  less 
than  the  record  of  the  '*  Mother  of  a  Thousand  Daughters  "  in 
Ceylon,  or  that  of  Scotland's  athlete  and  scholar  who  early 
laid  down  his  life  for  Ishmael's  descendants. 

Aside  from  the  attractiveness  of  these  fields  and  distinguished 
workers,  the  little  volume  comes  from  the  hands  of  writers  who 
excel  in  clear  and  forceful  statement,  and  it  is  hoped  that  their 
words  may  greatly  quicken  interest  in  these  apostles  of  modern 
times,  and  in  the  lands  to  which  they  gave  their  lives. 


Contents 

CHAPTER  j/  PAGB 

I.     Hans  Egede,  Greenland's  Viking  Pioneer,  1 686-1758.     By 

Rev.  Augustus  C.  Thompson,  D.  D 7 

II.     Captain  Allen  Gardiner,  R.  N.,  *«  Pioneer  to  the  Most 
Abandoned  Heathen,"   1794-1851.     By  Bishop  W.  Pak- 

enham  Walsh,  D.  D 19 

v' 

III.  Titus  Coan,  the  St.  Peter  of  Hawaii,  1801-1882.     By  Rev. 

S.  J.  Humphrey,  D.  D 3I 

IV.  James  Gilmour,  "  Brave  "  Missionary  to  the  Mongols,  1843- 

1891.     By  Rev.  Harlan  P.  Beach 46 

V.     Miss    Eliza  ''Agnew,    Ceylon's   "Mother  of  a  Thousand 

Daughters,"  1 807-1 883.     By  Miss  Abbie  B.  Child  ...    70 

v 

VI.    The  Hon.  Ion  Keith-Falconer,  Pioneer  in  Arabia,  1856- 

1887.     By  Rev.  Arthur  T.  Pierson,  D.  D 81 

Bibliography 97 

Analytical  Index 103 


Hans   Egede 

Greenland's  Viking  Pioneer 
1686-1758 


BY  REV.  AUGUSTUS  C.  THOMPSON,  D.  D  * 

1.  Egede  and  His  Enterprise. — i.  Inception  of  the  Idea, 
— Early  in  the  last  century  the  germ  of  a  new  settlement  and 
of  a  new  Christian  movement  came  into  being.  That  germ 
was  a  thought  in  the  mind  of  Hans  Egede.  The  persistence 
of  benevolent  purpose  displayed  by  him  in  finding  his  Vv'ay  to 
Greenland  and  remaining  there  in  the  face  of  appalling  dis- 
couragements entitles  his  history  to  some  measure  of  detail. 
He  was  a  Norwegian,  born  1686,  and  having  studied  for  the 
sacred  office  at  Copenhagen  was  ordained  pastor  of  a  church 
in  Vaagen,  on  the  western  coast  of  Norway,  1707,  the  year 
after  Ziegenbalg  and  Plutschau  reached  Tranquebar.  He  had 
read  old  chronicles  relating  to  his  countrymen  in  Greenland, 
and  after  a  twelvemonth  of  pastoral  labor  the  thought  occurred 
to  him  that  something  should  be  done  to  ascertain  their  condi- 
tion and  to  reclaim  them  if,  as  he  feared,  they  might  have  re- 
lapsed into  heathenism. 

2.  Norwaf  s  Favor mg  Position. — Before  the  close  of  the 
seventeenth  century  three  kings  had  successively  entertained 
the  purpose  of  sending  out  ships  to  reopen  communication 
with  the  lost  colony;  success  was  reserved  for  this  lonely 
Protestant  pastor.  The  geographical  position  of  Norway  fav- 
ored the  turn  which  his  thoughts  were  taking.  Its  northern 
extremity  reaches  within  the  polar  circle,  and  its  lofty  moun- 

*  Reprinted  by  the  kind  permission  of  the  author,  from  "  Protestant 
Missions,  Their  Rise  and  Early  Progress,"  Charles  Scribner's  Sons,  New 
York. 


8  MODERN  APOSTLES  OF  ^n..^,,^^^^^^  j,y,y^y, 

tain  peaks  confront  the  Arctic  Sea.     \o      ,  , 

that  rugged  country  of  its  tall  pines  and  puhVf^^       7  ^?  ^^^^P 
ward  the  pole  to  obtain  a  repetition  of  Green/.  ^"^  larther  to- 
Egede's  parish  lay  in  a  latitude  somewhat  highei"     .    -^"^^"^ 
Farewell.     Mere  curiosity,  as  he  imagines,  leads  him  uJ*        P^ 
inquiries  of  Bergen  shipmasters  who  are  engaged  in  the  w^^  ^ 
fishery.     Musing  on  the  condition  of  supposed  forlorn  North- 
men,   descendants   of   his   own    Norwegian    forefathers,    from 
whom  nothing  has  been  heard  for  a  long  while,  he  begins  to 
entertain  the  idea  of  doing  something  for  them. 

3.  At  first  such  an  endeavor  seems  impracticable.  A  home 
field  of  labor  has  been  given  him ;  he  has  a  wife  and  children. 
Vividly  do  the  sufferings  and  perils  of  an  undertaking  like  the 
one  which  occurs  to  him  stand  out  to  view,  and  he  endeavors 
to  banish  the  subject.  Egede  has  not  yet  come  distinctly  to 
the  consciousness  that  God  is  calling  him.  The  Danish  mis- 
sion to  Tranquebar  had  its  origin  in  a  crowned  head;  the 
Danish  mission  to  Greenland  springs  from  the  Christian  heart 
of  an  obscure  pastor. 

4.  Brooding  over  the  matter  he  at  length  drazvs  up  a  me- 
7norial,  setting  forth  Scripture  promises  concerning  the  con- 
version of  the  heathen,  the  command  of  Christ,  the  example  of 
many  pious  and  learned  men,  and  forwards  it  to  Bishop  Krog, 
of  Drontheim,  and  Bishop  Randulf,  of  Bergen,  with  a  petition 
asking  them  to  use  influence  at  court  in  favor  of  a  project  for 
Christianizing  the  Greenlanders.  That  v/as  (17 10)  just  one 
hundred  years  before  Judson  and  the  three  Samuels — Samuel 
Newell,  Samuel  Nott,  and  Samuel  Mills — memorialized  the 
General  Association  of  Massachusetts  regarding  a  mission 
among  the  heathen.  The  next  year  a  favorable  answer  comes 
from  Bishop  Krog,  commending  Egede' s  pious  intention  and 
giving  encouragement  of  assistance.  The  bishop's  geography 
is,  to  be  sure,  somewhat  at  fault,  for  he  remarks  that  Greenland 
is  in  the  neighborhood  of  Cuba,  where  Spanish  and  other  col- 
onists found  gold,  of  which  a  supply  might  be  obtained. 

5.  Hitherto  Egede  has  kept  the  matter  chiefly  in  his  own 
breast,  but  through  this  correspondence  the  project  becomes 
known  to  his  friends,  who  raise  vehement  opposition.  His 
wife,  nee  Gertrude  Rask,  mother,  and  mother-in-law  do  their 
utmost  to  divert  his  mind  from  what  appears  to  them  a  prepos- 
terous enterprise.  Yielding  for  a  time  to  their  tears  and  re- 
monstrances Egede  tries  to  persuade  himself  that  he  has 
labored  under  a  delusion,  but  the  words  of  our  Saviour,  '<  He 
that  loveth  father  or  mother  more  than  me  is  not  worthy  of 


HANS  EGEDE  9 

me,'*  stir  up  a  new  conflict  of  feeling.  He  has  no  rest  in 
spirit  day  nor  night.  Local  vexations  arise  at  Vaagen  which 
at  length  reconcile  his  wife  to  leaving  the  place,  and  this  he  re- 
gards as  providentially  opening  the  way.  It  is  suggested  that 
these  embarrassments  may  have  been  sent  on  account  of  their 
reluctance  to  give  up  all  for  Christ.  The  wife  carries  this  sub- 
ject to  God  in  prayer,  and  becomes  convinced  that  she  is 
called  to  embark  with  her  husband  in  the  good  work. 

6  Second  Meuwrial ;  Defamatio7i. — Egede  addresses  a  me- 
morial to  the  College  or  Board  of  Missions,  which  Frederick 
IV.  had  established  (17 14)  at  Copenhagen,  who  urged  the 
Bishops  of  Bergen  and  Drontheim  to  second  Egede's  request. 
They,  however,  counselled  delay  till  more  favorable  times. 
Postponements  continued,  and  hence  in  17 15  he  drew  up  a 
vindication.  It  was  entitled,  *' A  Scriptural  and  Rational  So- 
lution and  Explanation,  with  regard  to  the  objections  and  im- 
pediments raised  against  the  design  of  converting  the  heathen- 
ish Greenlanders."  An  unappreciative  world  still  urged  the 
dangers  of  the  voyage,  the  severity  of  the  climate,  the  madness 
of  exchanging  a  certain  for  an  uncertain  livelihood,  and  of  ex- 
posing wife  and  children  to  such  perils,  and  finally  they  resorted 
to  defa?naHon,  charging  him  with  selfish  motives.  Egede  was 
a  popular  preacher,  and  members  of  other  congregations  flocked 
to  hear  him.  A  neighboring  pastor  imputed  to  him  the  fault 
of  empty  seats,  and  hence  became  a  detractor. 

7.  Restive  under  prolonged  delays  he  resolves  to  visit  head- 
quarters that  he  may  the  better  prosecute  his  undertaking.  He 
proposes  to  resign  his  office  on  condition  that  his  successor 
shall  pay  an  annual  pension  till  he  himself  is  provided  for  in 
Greenland  or  elsewhere,  but  no  one  will  accept  the  benefice 
thus  hampered.  At  length  (17 18)  he  resigns  unconditionally. 
Hans  Egede  is  the  only  pastor  known  to  history  who  spent  ten 
years  in  unavailing  endeavors  to  gain  access  to  a  mission  field 
and  at  length  surrendered  his  charge,  still  uncertain  whether  he 
would  be  able  to  secure  cooperation  or  reach  the  desired  place. 
Just  then  comes  a  rumor  that  a  vessel  from  Bergen  has  been 
wrecked  on  the  coast  of  Greenland,  and  that  the  crew  were  de- 
voured by  cannibals.  But  this  frightful  tale  does  not  deter  the 
good  man  and  his  wife.  She  was  already  being  disciplined 
into  a  Christian  heroine,  and  with  their  four  children  they 
move  to  Bergen,  still  determined  to  find  a  way  to  disparaged 
Greenland. 

8.  Driven  to  Secular  Schemes. — At  Bergen  Egede  meets 
with  the  usual  experience  of  pioneers  in  Christian  benevolence ; 


10         MODERN  APOSTLES  OF  BIISSIONARY  BYWAYS 

he  is  looked  upon  as  a  fanatic  for  abandoning  a  comfortable 
home  and  starting  out  upon  such  knight-errantry  of  benevo- 
lence. It  becomes  necessary  to  give  up  the  expectation  of 
awakening  sufficient  interest  to  effect  his  object  independently 
of  secular  inducements.  The  Greenland  trade  from  Bergen 
had  been  ruined  by  the  competition  of  other  nations,  and  those 
to  whom  he  looks  for  cooperation  are  not  prepared  for  any  ven- 
ture in  that  line,  especially  so  long  as  the  war  then  existing 
vv^ith  Sweden  lasts.  Was  it  outside  the  designs  of  Providence 
that  precisely  at  that  Juncture  (1718)  the  erratic  career  of 
Charles  XII.  of  Sweden,  who  had  been  at  war  with  Denmark, 
should  suddenly  come  to  an  end  and  peace  ensue?  Egede 
hastens  to  Copenhagen.  He  presents  to  the  College  of  Mis- 
sions his  mem.orial,  with  proposals  in  which  the  fact  of  an  ex- 
isting mission  to  Tranquebar  is  pleaded  in  behalf  of  one  to 
Greenland.  He  obtains  a  favorable  answer  and  also  an  inter- 
view with  His  Majesty  Frederick  IV.,  who  listens  to  his  pro- 
posal. <'Seest  thou  a  man  diligent  in  business?  He  shall 
stand  before  kings." 

9.  Success,  however,  is  not  yet  assured.  A  royal  order 
(November  17,  17 19)  transmitted  to  Bergen  requires  a  magis- 
trate to  collect  the  opinions  of  commercial  men  who  have  been 
in  Davis'  Strait  regarding  traffic  with  Greenland  and  the  feasi- 
bility of  planting  a  colony  there.  But  no  one  seems  favorably 
disposed,  and  Egede' s  scheme  again  becomes  a  mockery.  He 
endeavors  to  make  interest  privately  with  individuals,  and 
meets  with  some  success ;  but  the  tide  turning  once  more  fresh 
derision  is  his  lot.  Under  obloquy  and  disappointment  an- 
other year  wears  away.  His  heart,  hov/ever,  does  not  fail. 
The  Macedonian  cry  has  been  wafted  to  his  ear  by  polar  winds. 
It  is  somebody's  business — it  is  Hans  Egede's  business — to  be- 
come the  apostle  of  Greenland  ;  otherwise  would  ''all  the  ends 
of  the  earth  see  the  salvation  of  God  ?  " 

10.  Successful  Finally. — At  last  a  few  are  touched  by  his 
zeal,  so  indefatigable  despite  repulses  and  mockeries.  A  capi- 
tal of  two  thousand  pounds  sterling  is  subscribed ;  the  king 
sends  a  present  of  forty  pounds  for  the  equipment,  appoints 
him  pastor  of  the  new  colony  and  missionary  to  the  heathen, 
with  a  salary  of  sixty  pounds  per  annum.  A  ship  called 
Haabet  ("The  Hope") — the  Mayflower  of  that  enterprise — is 
purchased,  Egede  himself  subscribing  three  hundred  dollars. 
Another  is  fitted  out  for  the  whale  fishery,  and  a  third  to  bring 
back  word  from  the  colony.  May  12,  1721,  one  hundred 
years  after  the  Pilgrims  landed  at  Plymouth,  Egede,  with  his 


HANS  EGEDE  11 

wife   and   four  children,  embarks.     He  leads  an   expedition 
numbering  about  forty  souls. 

II.  Voyage  and  Arrival. — Details  of  the  perilous  voyage 
to  Greenland  need  not  be  given.  One  of  the  three  vessels,  the 
whaler,  parted  company  from  the  others,  came  near  foundering 
in  a  squall,  and  was  driven  back  to  the  coast  of  Norway. 
July  3,  1 721,  the  remainder  of  the  party  landed  on  the  western 
coast,  in  latitude  sixty-four,  at  Ball's  River,  the  largest  stream 
of  Greenland.  In  the  estuary  of  that  river  are  numerous  small 
islands,  and  on  one  of  them,  named  for  their  ship,  Hope 
Island — called  by  the  natives  Kangek — they  built  a  house  of 
stone  and  earth,  Avhich  they  entered  after  a  sermon  on  Psalm 
cxvii.  :  ''  O  praise  the  Lord,  all  ye  nations :  praise  Him,  all 
ye  people.  For  His  merciful  kindness  is  great  toward  us :  and 
the  truth  of  the  Lx)rd  endureth  forever.     Praise  ye  the  Lord." 

III.  The  Greenlanders. — i.  Egede's  expectations  regard- 
ing the  people  of  the  country,  called  Skroellings  (<^  chips  "  or 
**  parings  "),  were  disappomted — a  mistake  no  greater  than  that 
of  Columbus,  who  sailed,  as  he  supposed,  for  Cepango  (Japan), 
and  who  died  in  the  belief  that  he  had  discovered  the  East 
Indies.  Ruins  of  ancient  Norwegian  villages  and  even 
churches  were  found  by  Egede.  But  the  Greenlanders  then  on 
the  ground  were  neither  Northmen  nor  descendants  of  North- 
men ;  they  were  Eskim.os.  Finding  their  social  and  moral 
condition  extremely  low,  and  their  language  wholly  different 
from  any  other  with  which  he  had  acquaintance,  our  missionary 
was  met,  but  not  daunted,  by  obstacles  the  most  disheartening. 
A  man  of  genuine  faith  and  Christian  heroism,  his  spirit  rose 
to  the  occasion.  He  had  come  to  Greenland  as  a  missionary, 
and  here  was  a  people  evidently  heathen. 

2.  The  vertiacidar  must  be  mastered.  Learning  at  length 
the  significance  of  one  word,  Kina,  '<  What  is  this?  "  he  used 
it  with  all  diligence  and  so  obtained  a  vocabulary.  A  member 
of  his  party  was  detailed  to  live  for  a  time  amongst  the  natives 
in  order  to  catch  their  speech.  Paul,  the  eldest  son  of  Egede, 
made  good  progress,  and  rendered  service  by  his  pencil  in 
rudely  sketching  Bible  scenes  which  his  father  endeavored  by 
words  to  set  before  the  mind  of  natives. 

3.  Acquisition,  however,  was  necessarily  slow,  and  slower 
yet  all  instruction  of  the  Eskimos.  Youths  who  for  a  little 
while  were  willing  to  learn  at  the  rate  of  a  fishhook  for  a  letter 
soon  grew  weary,  saying  they  could  see  no  use  in  looking  all 
day  at  a  piece  of  paper  and  crying,  A,  B,  C ;  that  the  mis- 
sionary and  the  factor  were  worthless  people,  doing  nothing  but 


12        MODERN  APOSTLES  OF  3IISSI0NAEV  BYWAYS 

scrawl  in  a  book  with  a  feather ;  that  the  Greenlanders  were 
brave;  they  could  hunt  and  kill  birds.  Indeed,  their  own 
name  for  themselves  is  hinuit,  *<the  men."  As  with  all  rude 
people  their  conceit  was  unbounded.  Highest  commendation 
of  a  European  they  would  express  by  saying,  "  He  is  almost  as 
well  behaved  as  we  are  ;  he  is  beginning  to  be  a  man." 

IV.  Trials  as  Head  of  Colony. — i.  Egede,  being  secular 
head  of  the  colony  as  well  as  its  minister  and  a  missionary  to 
the  heathen,  felt  obliged  to  make  explorations  in  order  to  find 
some  source  of  remunerative  pecuniary  returns.  He  had  to 
combat  depression  amofig  the  colonists,  whose  privations  were 
great  and  whose  profits  next  to  nothing.  For  provisions  they 
were  compelled  to  depend  upon  the  mother  country.  These 
being  inconstant  and  insufficient  they  were  sometimes  on  the 
verge  of  starvation.  True  the  king  granted  a  lottery  for  their 
benefit,  but  it  proved  a  failure.  He  levied  a  tax  on  the  king- 
dom of  Denmark  and  Norway,  called  the  ''Greenland  Assess- 
ment," yet  remittances  were  irregular  and  insufficient. 

2.  Mrs.  Egede' s  Fortitude. — Was  it  strange  that  under  the 
influence  of  such  a  climate  and  under  discouragements  such  as 
perhaps  no  other  missionary  ever  encountered  Egede  should  be- 
gin to  waver  in  his  purpose  of  remaining,  especially  as  others 
had  resolved  to  quit  the  intolerable  region  ?  But  Gertrude,  his 
wife — noble  woman  ! — would  not  listen  to  the  thought.  She 
would  render  no  assistance  in  packing  up,  and  his  courage  ral- 
lied. During  their  multiplied  perplexities  she  maintained 
cheerfulness,  under  all  burdens  keeping  up  her  fortitude  and 
faith.  ''Our  Lord  called  us  away,"  she  said,  "from  our 
country  and  our  father's  house  to  come  hither,  and  He  will 
never  fail  us."  She  was  indefatigable  in  her  kindness  to  the 
natives,  especially  in  times  of  sickness.  She  belongs  to  a 
group  of  early  missionaries'  companions — Harriet  Newell,  Ann 
Haseltine  Judson,  and  others — who  have  reflected  so  much 
honor  upon  their  sex  and  upon  the  cause  of  Christian  philan- 
thropy. With  a  true  womanly  fortitude  she  endures  the  re- 
pulsiveness  of  her  surroundings,  the  intensity  of  northern 
frosts,  and  the  intrusion  of  wild  beasts.  Once  a  huge  and 
hungry  polar  bear  breaks  into  the  house,  but  into  his  eyes  and 
open  mouth  she  dashes  a  kettle  of  boiling  gruel,  and  bruin  re- 
treats. 

3.  Failure  and  Withdrawals. — The  merchants  of  Bergen 
who  had  taken  stock  in  this  colonizing  enterprise  became  dis- 
heartened and  the  company  disbanded  (1727).  Three  years 
later  King  Frederick  died,  and  his  successor,  seeing  no  likeli- 


HANS  EGEDE  13 

hood  of  reimbursement  from  the  Greenland  trade  for  sums 
already  expended,  issued  an  order  (1731)  that  all  the  colonists 
should  return  home.  It  was  made  optional  with  Egede  to 
leave  with  the  rest  or  to  stay  with  such,  if  any,  who  of  their 
own  accord  would  remain.  Provisions  were  allowed  for  one 
year,  but  it  was  announced  expressly  that  he  could  expect  no 
further  assistance.  Now  after  ten  years  of  such  hardship, 
vexations,  and  want  of  success,  religious  as  well  as  temporal, 
could  any  man  be  expected  to  tarry,  especially  in  view  of  such 
a  royal  mandate  ?  There  was  good  reason  to  believe  that  he 
would  be  abandoned  by  the  government  and  little  reason  to 
suppose  that  private  funds  would  afford  relief.  Our  missionary 
and  his  wife  resolved  to  stay.  A  handful  of  other  colonists 
stayed  with  them.     His  two  colleagues  went  back  to  Denmark. 

4.  Loyalty  Trhcmphs. — The  next  year  King  Christian  VI. 
sent  necessary  supplies,  and  the  few  colonists  that  remained 
met  with  more  secular  success  than  in  any  previous  year. 
Later  came  word  that  the  Greenland  trade  was  to  be  opened 
anew  and  the  mission  to  be  sustained,  for  which  purpose  His 
Majesty  had  ordered  a  gift  of  four  hundred  pounds  sterling. 
Persistent  loyalty  to  the  King  of  kings  triumphed.  One  party 
of  northern  explorers  in  the  preceding  century  named  a  high 
promontory  which  they  discovered  ''Cape  Hold-with-Hope." 
Egede,  whose  very  name  suggests  firmness — from  Eeg,  the 
Danish  for  "oak" — would  seem  to  have  kept  that  bold  head- 
land always  in  his  eye,  "Hold-with-Hope." 

5.  Health  meanwhile  was  much  impaired.  Such  incessant 
labor,  solicitude,  privation,  and  severity  of  climate  would  tell 
upon  any  foreign  constitution,  however  robust.  For  a  time 
even  his  mind  appears  to  have  sympathized  in  a  measure  with 
its  racked  tenement,  and  the  only  wonder  is  that  there  was  not 
an  entire  collapse  of  both  body  and  mind. 

6.  With  the  exception  of  chest  difficulties  Greenland  is  sub- 
ject to  few  diseases.  No  epidemic  or  contagious  malady  had 
been  known  among  the  natives  until  one  of  six  youths  who 
were  sent  to  Copenhagen  on  returning  brought  the  s7nalIpoXy 
which  was  communicated  to  his  countrymen.  It  raged  for  a 
twelvemonth,  making  fearful  havoc.  Certain  places  were  de- 
populated, some  of  the  people  in  their  panic  committing  sui- 
cide. When  trading  agents  afterward  went  over  the  country 
they  found  every  house  empty  for  leagues  along  the  coast,  and 
it  was  computed  that  from  two  to  three  thousand  died  of  the 
distemper.  Egede  at  that  time,  as  always,  showed  himself  a 
true  friend  to  the  Eskimos.     He  shrank  from  no  offensive  and 


14        MODERN  APOSTLES  OF  3IISSI0NARY  BYWAYS 

wearisome  offices  of  kindness  in  their  behalf.  This  epidemic 
occurred  about  the  time  that  Lady  Mary  Wortley  Montagu  was 
endeavoring  to  introduce  vaccination  into  London. 

7.  Egede's  magnanimous  wife  at  length  succumbs^  the  victim 
of  overwork  and  philanthropic  exposures  during  the  epidemic. 
She  died  at  the  close  of  1735.  Like  the  eider  fowl  of  Green- 
land, which  plucks  the  finest  down  from  her  own  breast  to 
furnish  a  warm  bed  for  her  young,  so  was  Gertrude  Egede  a 
self-sacrificing  mother  to  the  natives. 

V.  Egede  as  a  Missionary. — i.  The  dauntless  devotion 
of  Egede  to  the  work  he  had  undertaken  did  not  fail  to  win  a 
degree  of  favor  to  the  cause  in  Norway  and  Denmark.  But 
what  were  the  spiritual  results  of  the  mission  in  those  days  of 
incipiency?  Alas  !  that  an  answer  no  more  cheering  can  be 
given.  A  large  harvest  from  such  soil  could  not  be  expected. 
Egede's  motives  were  undoubtedly  pure  and  his  aim  most 
praiseworthy,  but  by  necessity  his  position  was  embarrassing. 
As  we  have  seen,  apparently  the  only  way  for  him  to  reach 
Greenland  and  have  the  prospect  of  subsistence  there  was  to 
organize  a  colony,  and  the  basis  of  that  undertaking  on  the 
part  of  stockholders  and  colonists  was  a  commercial  venture. 
Its  originator  had  to  be  its  leader.  Under  the  contract,  formal 
or  implied,  he  was  morally  bound  to  look  after  the  secular  in- 
terests of  those  who  had  assumed  pecuniary  responsibilities. 
It  was,  then,  a  formidable  embarrassment  that  Egede  should 
from  the  first  feel  obliged  to  be  all  the  while  looking  out  for 
places  and  sources  of  more  profitable  trade  and  should  experi- 
ence constant  chagrin  at  the  inadequate  financial  returns. 
What  in  the  way  of  religious  achievements  can  be  expected  of 
a  missionary  whose  thoughts  are  occupied  largely  with  seal- 
skins, whalebone,  and  blubber? 

2.  Wrong  Theory  of  Missions. — Without  adverting  again  to 
the  almost  insurmountable  impediments  of  climate,  to  impedi- 
ments in  the  language  and  habits  of  the  people,  which  are 
likely  to  be  met  with  in  any  barbarous  region,  we  must  notice 
that  Egede  was  not  fully  possessed  with  the  true  idea  of  evan- 
gelization. He  entertained  the  mistaken  theory  that  civiliza- 
tion must  precede  Christianity.  With  such  a  theory  no  one 
will  have  large  success  in  ''  turning  men  from  darkness  to  light 
and  from  the  power  of  Satan  unto  God."  Nor  with  such  a 
theory  should  any  large  success  be  looked  for  even  in  the  line 
of  mere  civilization. 

3.  The  quickest,  surest  method  for  starting  a  savage  on  the 
high  road  of  mental  improvement  and  improvement  in  social 


HANS  EGEDE  15 

relations  is  to  secure  the  lodgment  in  his  soul  of  some  worthy 
energizing  thought.  And  what  impulse  can  be  so  mighty  as 
the  sense  of  personal  responsibility  to  the  holy  God,  the  sense 
of  sin  with  its  penal  consequences,  and  acquaintance  with  the 
good  news  of  free  grace  through  the  atoning  Lamb  ?  There  is 
no  need  of  preparing  a  way  for  the  gospel ;  it  makes  a  way  for 
itself  and  for  everything  else  that  is  good.  Preliminaries  not 
having  immediate  and  direct  reference  to  the  salvation  of  the 
soul  are  no  more  required  than  are  introductory  arrangements 
before  repentance  and  faith  can  become  obligatory  and  can  be 
suitably  pressed  upon  the  conscience.  Breaking  down  super- 
stition does  not  necessarily  introduce  vital  religion.  Of  all 
healthful  forces  for  moving  man  in  the  career  of  ennobling 
civilization,  what  can  compare  with  saving  faith  ?  The  truest 
philanthropist  is  the  one  who  determines  first  of  all  not  to  know 
anything  among  men  save  Jesus  Christ  and  Him  crucified,  and 
who  accounts  himself  *' debtor  both  to  the  Greeks  and  to  the 
barbarians."  The  very  alpha  of  the  missionary's  office,  in  the 
tropics  or  at  the  poles,  is  to  deliver  the  message  of  Him  who 
has  sent  him,  ''  Look  unto  Me  and  be  ye  saved,  all  the  ends  of 
the  earth." 

VI.  Return  and  Later  History. — Egede  had  only  slight 
success,  if  any,  in  saving  souls.  His  heart  was  right,  but  his 
theory  defective.  The  natives  mimicked  and  derided — than 
which  is  there  anything  harder  to  bear?  In  his  wearisome  and 
unfruitful  toil  it  would  have  been  very  singular  if  he  did  not 
sometimes  adopt  the  psalmist's  ejaculation,  ''O  Lord,  how 
long?"  Would  it  have  been  anything  strange  if,  like  John 
Baptist  in  the  castle  of  Machaerus  on  the  dreary  eastern  shore 
of  the  Dead  Sea,  Egede  in  his  icy  prison  during  the  long  night 
of  winter  should  sometimes  grow  moody  ?  Fifteen  years  of 
unremitting  and  unrequited  labor  were  now  passed.  He 
preaches  his  farewell  sermon.  His  text  is  (Isaiah  xlix.  4), 
''Then  I  said,  I  have  labored  in  vain,  I  have  spent  my  strength 
for  nought,  and  in  vain :  yet  surely  my  judgment  is  with  the 
Lord,  and  my  work  with  my  God." 

In  shattered  health,  taking  the  cherished  remains  of  his  wife, 
he  returns  to  Copenhagen.  The  King  gives  him  an  audience, 
makes  him  superintendent  (1740)  of  a  training  seminary  for 
the  mission,  and  confers  on  him  the  title  of  Bishop  of  Green- 
land, as  upon  his  son  after  him.  He  wrote  a  narrative  of  his 
enterprise,  and  died  (1758)  at  the  age  of  seventy-two.  His 
name  is  perpetuated  on  the  Greenland  coast  in  the  name  of  a 
settlement,  Egedeuiinde,  ''Egede's  IMemorial." 


16       MODEEN  APOSTLES  OF  MISSIONARY  BYWAYS 

VII.  Egede's  Life  not  a  Failure. — "A  failure  !  "  ejacu- 
late the  unsympathizing.  *'  What  good  came  of  it?  "  they  ask 
superciliously. 

1.  That  all  expectations,  Christian  and  secular,  were  not 
realized  has  been  fully  admitted ;  but  in  point  of  fact  this 
noble  Norwegian  headed  and  planted  what  has  proved  to  be 
a  permane7it  colony,  and  that  too  under  circumstances  more 
disheartening  than  have  been  met  by  any  similar  enterprise  in 
the  whole  range  of  colonial  history.  Greed  was  never  his 
motive,  nor  did  he  incur  any  reasonable  censure  for  misman- 
agement. With  respect  even  to  commercial  interests  it  did  not 
become  worldly  Danes  to  speak  disparagingly  of  this  private 
enterprise,  conducted  as  it  was  with  prudence,  energy,  and 
more  of  success  than  we  should  expect  considering  the  ob- 
stacles encountered. 

2.  How  was  it  with  a  similar  goverfmienf  undertaking  oi  that 
period  ?  One  Danish  commander  lighting  upon  a  bank  of 
Greenland  sand  that  resembled  gold  fancied  that  his  fortune 
was  made.  Filling  his  ship  with  the  supposed  treasure  he 
sailed  for  Denmark,  revelling  on  his  voyage  in  dreams  of  opu- 
lence. In  1728  four  or  five  Danish  ships  were  sent  out — one  a 
man-of-war — with  masons,  carpenters,  and  other  handicrafts- 
men, taking  artillery  and  materials  for  a  fort  and  a  new  colony. 
The  officers  took  horses  with  them  to  ride  across  the  country 
and  over  the  mountains  with  a  view  to  discovering  the  sup- 
posed lost  colony  of  the  eastern  coast.  Those  useless  animals 
soon  died.  The  soldiers  mutinied.  Neither  the  governor  nor 
the  missionary  was  safe,  for  houses  of  correction  had  been 
emptied  to  furnish  the  colonists.  Egede,  who  before  could 
sleep  in  the  hovels  of  savage  Greenlanders,  now  needs  a  guard 
to  defend  his  bed  against  the  attacks  of  Christian  fellow  coun- 
trymen. 

3.  How  much  of  disaster  has  attended  nearly  all  secular 
enterprises  at  the  north  /  Time  was  when  the  Arctic  archi- 
pelago might  be  seen  studded  with  abandoned  ships,  six  of 
them  left  in  the  ice — the  Investigator  at  Mercy  Bay,  the  Reso- 
lute and  Intrepid  at  Melville  Island,  the  Assistance  and  Pioneer 
in  Wellington  Channel,  and  the  Advance  in  Smith's  Sound,  be- 
sides the  Erebus  and  Terror,  which  were  believed  to  have  been 
left  before  in  the  Strait  of  James  Ross.  In  Melville  Bay  more 
than  two  hundred  ships  have  already  perished.  Superior  char- 
acter and  superior  skill  have  not  sufficed.  Sir  John  Franklin 
was  a  man  of  piety,  so  were  Parry  and  Scoresby,  and  though 
more  than  one  ship's  company  have   perished   of  cold  and 


HANS  EGEDE  17 

starvation  we  do  not  pronounce  all  those  expeditions  unauthor- 
ized. While  one  chief  object  in  view  has  been  but  partially 
accomplished  there  are  few  problems  relating  to  the  physics  of 
our  globe — atmospheric  pressure,  electricity,  currents,  the 
aurora,  the  figure  of  the  earth — which  can  be  understood  oth- 
erwise than  by  an  observation  of  polar  phenomena.  Important 
benefits  have  accrued  to  science  and  indirectly  to  commerce. 

4.  Met  the  Test  of  Fidelity. — Hans  Egede's  mission  was  not 
a  failure.  Weight  and  worth  of  character  are  measured  by 
something  else  than  success.  The  awards  of  heaven  are  not 
graduated  by  results,  but  according  to  fidelity.  "Except," 
says  Dr.  Geikie,  "except  that  the  ancestors  of  Egede  perished 
on  the  east  coast  of  that  most  dismal  country,  and  that  its  un- 
surveyed  leagues  of  ice  and  snow  v/ere  figuratively  under  the 
Danish  flag,  we  know  of  no  claim  which  Greenland  ever  had 
upon  Danish  Christians."  Not  so  had  this  pious  man  learned 
Christ,  nor  did  he  thus  interpret  Providence.  He  had  been 
called  of  God  to  that  undertaking.  By  heeding  the  divine 
summons  he  accomplished  more  for  Scandinavia,  more  for 
mankind,  by  far  than  he  could  have  done  among  the  rocks  of 
Vaagen.  He  was  a  debtor  to  those  northern  barbarians,  and 
obeying  the  divine  impulse  he  became  a  historical  character. 
His  noble  example  is  felt  in  the  world  to-day  and  will  be  felt  to 
the  end  of  time.  We  marvel  at  the  obtuseness  that  fails  to  see 
in  the  career  of  this  humble  missionary  an  example  of  moral 
sublimity.  When  King  Frederick  had  just  been  searching  for 
Danish  subjects  qualified  to  enter  upon  mission  work  in  India 
v/ith  its  attractions,  and  had  to  solicit  recruits  from  a  foreign 
nationality,  a  young  pastor  on  the  rock-bound  coast  of  Norway 
and  almost  v/ithin  hearing  of  the  Maelstrom  was  meditating  on 
the  forlorn  condition  of  men  in  a  region  yet  more  rugged. 
The  King  of  kings  was  giving  him  a  call.  He  could  not 
clearly  interpret  the  summons  at  first.  Circumstances  seemed 
to  chain  him  to  the  rocks  of  Vaagen. 

At  length,  as  to  the  strong  man  at  Lehi,  "  the  Spirit  of  the 
Lord  came  mightily  upon  him ;  "  without  wavering  he  toils  on 
year  after  year  amidst  suspicion  and  obloquy  for  the  privilege 
of  expatriating  himself  and  of  reaching  an  icy  home  that  he 
may  benefit  a  wretched  population.  Once  there  he  endures  a 
fifteen  years'  martyrdo7?i  of  privation,  perils,  reproaches,  and 
disappointments.  He  has  the  genius  of  Christian  patience. 
Irresolution  never  masters  him.  The  sternest  realities  man  can 
ever  meet  he  looks  in  the  face  unterrified.  To  faith  in  Christ 
there  are  no  obstacles  tliat  cannot  be  overcome  ;  to  the  man 


18        3I0DERN  APOSTLES  OF  MISSIONARY  BYWAYS 

who  takes  counsel  of  duty  rather  than  of  difficulty  there  are  no 
impossibilities. 

5.  Hans  Egede  pioneered  the  way  for  other  missionaries^ 
Danish  and  Moravian.  By  his  endurance  and  perseverance  he 
showed  the  capabilities  of  Christian  fortitude.  His  life  at  the 
north  changed  the  temperature  of  that  continent  of  frost  for  all 
time  to  come.  His  example  is  no  coruscation  of  the  borealisy 
but  a  steady  beacon  light  to  guide  and  animate  every  wavering 
Christian  laborer  in  lands  less  inhospitable. 

6.  Estimated  on  the  scale  of  motives  and  qualities  this 
apostle  was  a  hero  and  his  mission  a  triumph.  You  are  famil- 
iar with  the  incident  of  two  northern  travellers  lighting  upon  a 
man  at  the  point  of  freezing.  One  of  them  sprang  to  his  re- 
lief, raised  him,  half  buried  in  the  snow,  chafed  him,  restored 
^varmth,  and  by  the  rescue  of  a  benumbed  wanderer  brought 
himself  into  a  thorough  glow.  His  inactive  companion, 
wrapped  in  furs,  came  near  perishing  from  cold.  So  is  it  with 
communities,  and  Norway  has  to-day  a  life  she  would  not  pos- 
sess but  for  that  philanthropic  service  in  Greenland.  Did  she 
ever  produce  a  man  more  useful  to  herself  than  Hans  Egede  ? 

VIII.  Present  State  of  Greenland.— i.  The  Two  As- 
pects,— The  mission  as  well  as  the  colony  established  by  him 
became  permanent.  After  a  century  and  a  half  it  exists  to- 
day. It  is  to  be  acknowledged  that  the  power  of  evangelical 
Christianity  is  not  strikingly  marked  in  the  character  and  habits 
of  the  native  people,  yet  decided  improvement  has  taken  place  ; 
the  community  has  become  nominally  Christian.  In  Danish 
Greenland  proper  the  last  acknowledged  pagan  Eskimo  died 
some  years  since.  Most  of  the  people  are  able  to  read  and 
write,  and  here  is  one  of  the  instances  of  a  rude  people  in- 
creasing instead  of  diminishing  by  contact  with  civilization  and 
superior  foreigners.*  The  Danish  Government — to  its  special 
honor  be  it  said — has  pursued  a  paternal  policy,  for  one  thing 
wisely  excluding  ardent  spirits,  that  destructive  bane  among  so 
many  rude  races. 

2.  Two  Similitudes. — There  is  in  Greenland  singularly  one 
warm  spring,  with  a  uniform  temperature  of  a  hundred  and 
four  degrees  Fahrenheit ;  and  while  most  of  the  birds  are  birds 
of  prey  there  is  one  bird  of  song,  the  linnet.  Such  are  the 
fountain  and  melody  of  our  holy  religion  in  that  land  of  appall- 
ing dreariness. 

»  In  1789  the  population  was  only  5,122;  in  1872  it  had  become  9,441. 


Captain  Allen  Gardiner,  R.  N. 

"  Pioneer  to  the  Most  Abandoned  Heathen  " 
1794-1851 


BY  BISHOP  W.  PAKENHAM  WALSH,  D.D  * 

1.  Introductory i.    The  tragical  fate  which  befell  this 

heroic  man,  in  his  noble  endeavor  to  introduce  Christianity  into 
Terra  del  Fuego,  has  made  his  name  to  be  a  household  word, 
and  has  won  for  him  a  distinguished  place  in  the  history  of 
missionary  adventure.  But  it  is  not  generally  known  that 
Allen  Gardiner  had  been  a  m\s&\oxiZxy  pioneer  during  sixteen 
years  of  his  previous  life,  and  had  already  endured  hardships 
and  privations  of  no  ordinary  kind  in  his  efforts  to  prepare  the 
way  for  the  Gospel,  both  in  South  Africa  and  in  South  America. 

2.  He  was  a  laymaft,  and,  though  urged  to  enter  into  holy 
orders,  preferred  to  continue  one  to  the  end,  because  he  believed 
that  in  that  capacity  he  could  best  promote  God's  glory,  and 
clear  the  track  for  the  ordained  messengers  of  peace.  His 
plans  were  not  always  the  wisest  or  the  best  constructed,  but 
his  spirit  and  resolution  were  of  the  loftiest  type,  and  in  all  our 
missionary  annals  there  is  no  one  who  can  more  justly  claim  as 
his  own  the  apostolic  motto,  "In  journeyings  often." 

11.  Boyhood. — Born  in  1794,  the  son  of  a  Berkshire  squire, 
he  showed  an  early  predilection  for  a  sailor's  life.  While  he 
was  still  a  child  he  exercised  his  ingenuity  in  sketching  a  plan 
for  cutting  the  French  fleet  out  of  Rochelle  harbor.  A  love  of 
adventure  was  early  manifested  by  his  writing  out  a  vocabulary 
of  African  words  from  *' Mungo  Park's  Travels,"  and  by  his 
sleeping  all  night  upon  the  floor,  in  the  hope,  as  he  said,  that 
he  would  thereby  inure  himself  to  hardship,  as  he  ''  intended 
to  travel  all  over  the  world." 

*  From  ♦'  Modern  Heroes  of  the  Mission  Field " ;  reprinted  by  per- 
mission of  the  publisher,  Thomas  Whittaker,  New  York. 

19 


20        MODERN  APOSTLES  OF  BIISSIONARY  BYWAYS 

III.  The  Naval  Officer. — i.  At  sixteen  he  e7ifered  the 
navy,  and  having  distinguished  himself  as  a  midshipman  in  an 
engagement  between  the  Phccbe  and  the  Essex,  he  was  sent 
home  as  heutenant  in  charge  of  the  prize. 

2.  His  Conversion. — Four  years  after  this  (1820)  we  find 
him  at  Penang,  in  the  Dauntless,  and  it  was  here  that  the  early 
but  neglected  instructions  of  a  pious  and  departed  mother 
began  to  tell.  His  father  had  drawn  up  a  touching  record  of 
her  last  days,  but  had  not  shown  it  to  his  son.  It  happened, 
however,  that  a  Christian  lady,  who  was  present  at  her  death, 
lent  the  narrative  to  the  young  sailor  before  he  sailed  from 
Portsm.outh,  and  allowed  him  to  copy  it.  Gardiner  had 
wandered  far  from  her  early  teaching ;  but  this  memoir  recalled 
him.  He  bought  a  Bible,  but  was  so  much  ashamed  to  be  seen 
doing  so,  that  he  watched  the  bookseller's  shop  until  he  saw 
there  were  no  customers  inside,  and  then  he  ventured  in  and 
made  the  purchase.  That  Bible  and  that  narrative  accom-- 
panied  him  to  Penang.     While  there  a  wise  and  kindly  letter 

\  received  from  his  mother's  friend  set  him  upon  examining  the 
one  and  reflecting  upon  the  other,  and  the  result  was  that  the 
dashing  young  naval  officer  gave  his  heart  to  God. 

3.  Consecration  to  Missions. — His  duties  led  him  at  this 
time  to  the  coasts  of  South  America,  and  he  began  to  take  that 
deep  interest  in  the  aborigines  which  never  afterward  forsook 
him,  and  in  the  exercise  of  which  he  laid  down  his  life.  He 
had  witnessed  the  blessed  results  of  missionary  effort  in  Tahiti, 
and  when  he  came  back  to  England  on  sick  leave,  he  pleaded 
the  cause  of  the  poor  Indians  v/ith  the  London  Missionary 

\  Society,  and  placed  his  services  at  their  disposal.  The  Society 
,\  did  not  see  its  way  to  undertake  the  mission,  and  Allen  Gardiner 
\  resumed  his  naval  duties,  and  became  a  married  man.  His 
wife  was  delicate,  and  her  increasing  illness  led  them  eventually 
to  reside  in  the  Isle  of  Wight.  At  length  she  was  taken  from 
him,  and  beside  her  bier  he  made  a  solemn  vow  to  dedicate 
himself  more  especially  to  the  service  of  God.  His  tastes  and 
training  pointed  out  to  him  the  path  of  a  missionary  explorer, 
and  he  determined  to  become  a  pioneer  in  some  of  those  dark 
regions  of  the  earth  which  had  not  yet  been  visited  by  the  light 
of  the  Gospel. 

IV.  The  South  African  Missionary. — i.  Pioneer  Experi- 
ences.— His  steps  were  directed  in  the  first  instance  to  Southern 
Africa.  Our  colonists  had  been  pushing  their  way  amongst  the 
warlike  Kaffirs,  and  frequent  conflicts  had  taken  place  between 
them,  but  no  one  as  yet  had  dreamed  of  subduing  them  to 


CAPTAIN  ALLEN  GARDINER,   R.   N.  21 

Christ.  The  honor  of  starting  the  first  missionary  settlement 
in  Zululand  belongs  to  Captain  Gardiner.  This  is  an  interest- 
ing fact,  when  taken  in  connection  with  all  that  has  since 
rendered  that  country  so  familiar  to  Englishmen,  both  in  a 
political  and  a  religious  point  of  view.  He  induced  a  Pole 
named  Berken  to  accompany  him,  and  the  history  of  their 
perils  and  adventures  reads  like  a  strange  romance.  Now  with 
their  own  hands  they  are  digging  their  horses  out  of  the  morasses 
into  which  they  have  sunk ;  now  they  are  swimming  the  swollen 
rivers,  at  the  peril  of  their  lives,  and  lying  down  upon  the  banks, 
wet  and  hungry,  to  be  awakened  from  their  uncomfortable  re- 
pose by  the  snorting  of  hippopotami,  as  the  huge  animals  come 
trampling  through  the  crushed  and  quivering  reeds.  At  length 
Gardiner  reached  the  rude  capital  of  Dingairn,  an  able  but 
ferocious  chief,  who  v/as  the  terror  of  all  white  settlers,  and  the 
tyrant  of  his  own  people.  Over  this  man  he  contrived  to  gain 
a  marvellous  influence,  even  inducing  him,  though,  he  steadily 
refused  to  become  a  Christian,  to  grant  ground  for  a  missionary 
settlement. 

2.  Gardiner  now  took  up  kis  residence  at  Port  Natal,  his 
only  possessions  being  ''  his  clothes,  his  saddle,  a  spoon,  and  a 
New  Testament."  The  colony,  if  such  it  could  be  called,  con- 
sisted of  a  few  miserable  hovels,  in  which  some  thirty  rough 
Englishmen  resided,  surrounded  by  a  multitude  of  fugitive 
Zulus,  who  acted  as  their  servants.  Our  pioneer  made  himself 
at  home  amongst  this  motley  company,  and  did  what  he  could 
to  instruct  them.  It  was  no  new  thing  to  him,  as  a  naval 
officer,  to  read  the  Church  of  England  service  on  Sunday 
mornings ;  so  he  gathered  the  white  men  under  the  shadow  of  a 
stately  tree,  and  read  to  them  words  which  they  had  almost  for- 
gotten, but  which  came  back  to  them  like  the  tones  of  their 
mother's  voice.  In  the  afternoon  he  collected  the  Kaffirs,  and, 
with  the  help  of  an  interpreter,  explained  to  them  the  simplest 
facts  of  Bible  history.  Nor  were  his  week-days  unemployed. 
He  opened  a  school  for  the  wretched  native  children,  dressed 
them  in  the  first  clothing  they  had  ever  known,  and  became 
himself  their  patient  schoolmaster.  Nor  was  this  all.  He 
aided  the  colonists  with  his  advice  and  succor  in  founding  their 
first  regular  town,  and  on  the  25th  June,  1835,  it  sprang  into 
existence  as  '■^  Diirba7i.'^ 

3.  The  Missionary  Flenipotetitiary . — Troubles  arose  between 
the  colonists  and  Dingairn.  The  Zulus  who  worked  for  the 
English  had  fled  from  his  tyranny,  and  he  threatened  to  come 
down    upon   the   settlement   with   fire   and    foray.     Gardiner 


22        MODERN  APOSTLES  OF  MISSIONARY  BYWAYS 

appeared  in  the  new  character  of  an  ambassador,  and  pre- 
sented himself  at  the  kraal  of  the  royal  savage  in  his  full 
uniform.  This  made  a  deep  impression  ;  but  the  known  and 
approved  character  of  the  ambassador  made  a  deeper  one ;  and 
the  result  of  this  strange  interview  was  that  Dingairn  constituted 
our  hero  his  plenipotentiary,  and  made  him  governor  of '*  all 
the  country  of  the  white  people's  fold,"  that  is,  in  other  words, 
of  the  territory  which  we  now  call  Natal. 

4.  This  induced  Gardiner  to  revisit  England  m  or ^tx  to  con- 
sult the  Government  on  the  political  situation,  and  the  Church 
Missionary  Society  concerning  the  religious  one.  He  soon 
returned  with  a  missionary  staff,  and  was  warmly  received  by 
Dingairn,  who  however  was  apprised  that  the  missionaries 
could  not  hold  secular  appointments,  and  that  these  should  be 
given  to  officers  of  the  British  Crown. 

5 .  For  a  time  all  went  on  prosperously ;  but  complications, 
for  which  the  missionaries  were  in  no  way  responsible,  soon 
arose  between  the  whites  and  the  Zulus.  Covetousness  and 
greed  on  the  one  side  induced  revenge  and  treachery  on  the 
other.  War  and  rapine  followed ;  the  missio?iary  settlement 
had  to  be  abandoned ;  and  Gardiner,  after  more  than  three 
years  of  earnest  labor  in  Natal,  left  Africa  with  a  heavy  heart, 
and  sought  a  new  field  for  his  exertions. 

V.  Prospecting. — i.  In  South  America. — His  thoughts 
naturally  reverted  to  the  Indians  of  South  America,  and  more 
especially  to  those  of  the  Pampas  and  of  Chili,  who  in  past 
years  had  not  only  stirred  his  compassion  by  their  spiritual 
destitution,  but  had  also  excited  his  admiration  by  the  heroic 
stand  which  they  had  made  for  their  independence.  He 
reached  Rio  Janeiro  in  July,  1838,  and  immediately  began  a 
series  of  indefatigable  journeyings  and  investigations.  We  can 
give  but  a  passing  glance  at  them.  He  travelled  to  Monte- 
video and  Buenos  Ayres,  and  thence  to  Mendoza.  In  four- 
teen days  he  crossed  nine  hundred  miles  of  the  Pampas,  then 
scaled  the  heights  of  the  Cordilleras,  and  after  eleven  days  of 
incessant  toil  reached  Santiago,  on  the  Chilian  side  of  the 
Andes.  From  Santiago  he  travelled  to  Concepcion,  thence  to 
New  Guinea,  and  from  that  he  made  his  way  to  Valparaiso. 
During  these  journeys  he  had  frequent  interviews  with  native 
chiefs,  but  the  results  were  not  satisfactory;  '' They  did  not 
want  a  missionary."  Many  of  them  had  suffered  so  fearfully 
at  the  hands  of  white  men,  and  especially  of  Spaniards,  that 
they  looked  upon  all  strangers  with  suspicion.  Some  of  them 
were  even  then  undergoing  the  miseries  of  an  exterminating 


CAPTAIN  ALLEN  QARDINER,   R.   N.  23 

warfare  from  the  races  which  called  themselves  civilized,  and 
there  was  no  opening  for  the  introduction  of  the  gospel  of  peace. 
In  other  districts,  where  these  difficulties  did  not  exist,  the 
jealousy  of  the  authorities  and  the  opposition  of  the  Romish  V 
priesthood  precluded  all  hope  of  doing  good. 

2.  In  New  Guinea. — After  two  years  of  fruitless  effort,  he 
quitted  South  America,  and  directed  his  steps  to  New  Guinea, 
where  he  was  met  by  the  sullen  suspicions  of  the  Dutch,  who 
could  not  bring  themselves  to  believe  that  an  English  officer 
was  free  from  political  designs,  and  who  only  looked  upon  his 
missionary  pronouncements  as  a  cloak  for  these. 

VI.  South  America  Chosen. — i.  Baffled  successiyely 
upon  two  continents,  and  now  once  again  in  the  Malay  Archi- 
pelago, he  conceived  the  pla?i  with  which  his  last  and  best 
known  enterprise  was  to  be  associated.  In  a  letter  written  at 
this  time  to  a  friend  he  says :  **  Having  at  last  abandoned  all 
hope  of  reaching  the  Indian  inhabitants  where  they  are  most 
civilized  and  least  migratory,  my  thoughts  are  necessarily 
turned  toward  the  South.  Happily  for  us,  and  I  trust  even-; 
tually  for  the  poor  Indians,  the  Falkland  Islands  are  now  under 
the  British  flag ;  and  although  the  settlement  is  poor,  still  it  is 
the  resort  of  numbers  of  whalers,  and  of  the  small  sealing  ves- 
sels which  frequent  the  Straits  of  Magellan.  The  Patagonians 
about  Gregory  Bay,  in  the  northeastern  part  of  the  strait,  have 
always  evinced  a  friendly  disposition  to  foreigners,  and  it  is  to 
that  spot  I  am  now  particularly  turning  my  attention.  We 
purpose  to  proceed  to  Berkeley  Sound  in  the  Falkland  Islands. 
Making  this  our  place  of  residence,  I  intend  to  cross  over  in  a 
sealer,  and  to  spend  the  summer  among  the  Patagonians.  Who 
can  tell  but  the  Falkland  Islands,  so  admirably  suited  for  the 
purpose,  may  become  the  key  to  the  aborigines,  both  of  Pata- 
gonia and  Terra  del  Fuego?  " 

2.  He  went  to  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  and  fetched  his 
family  with  him  from  thence  to  the  Falklands.  Leaving  them 
there  in  a  lonely  wooden  hut,  on  that  treeless,  shrubless  shore, 
he  set  off  with  his  servant  in  a  crazy  schooner  for  the  stormy 
Straits  of  Magellan.  Here  he  came  into  contact  with  the  - 
Fuegian  divellers  on  the  islands,  and  found  them  to  be  bar- 
barians of  the  lowest  type,  whom  neither  gifts  nor  kindliness 
could  conciliate,  and  who  were  evidently  determined  to  give  no 
countenance  to  their  white  visitors. 

3.  In  Patagofiia. — He  therefore  resolved  on  making  his  way 
to  a  tribe  of  Patagonians  on  the  mainland,  concerning  whom  he 
had   received   some   information,  and  with  whom  a  Spanish 


24       MODERN  APOSTLES  OF  MISSIONARY  BYWAYS 

Creole  had  been  living  for  some  twelve  years.  This  wild 
adventurer  had  gained  considerable  influence  amongst  them, 
and  proved  most  useful  to  Gardiner  as  an  interpreter.  A 
chieftain  nanied  VVissale  was  particularly  friendly,  and  promised 
a  welcome  to  the  captain,  if  he  would  come  back  and  set  up  a 
mission  amongst  his  people ;  so  Gardiner  returned  full  of  hope 
and  thankfulness  to  his  sorry  home  upon  the  Falklands,  de- 
termined to  bring  back  his  family  with  him,  and  to  settle 
amongst  the  Patagonians. 

4.  But  he  was  fated  to  be  disappointed.  The  whalers  would 
not  undertake  the  perilous  voyage  for  £,-^00^  which  v/as  all 
that  he  had  to  offer  them.  Kis  applications  to  the  Church 
Missionary  Society  were  not  successful,  for  at  that  time  they 
had  not  the  means  to  undertake  a  new  mission.  So  he  resolved 
on  returning  to  England,  and  pleading  in  person  the  cause  of 
Patagonia  amongst  British  Christians.  Even  in  this  his  hopes 
were  frustrated.  His  appeal  v/as  met  v/ith  apathy  and  cold- 
ness ;  but  nothing  could  chill  the  warmth  of  his  burning  mis- 
sionary zeal. 

5.  Bible  Distribution. — Failing  in  his  main  object,  he  en- 
deavored to  further  it  indirectly  by  obtaining  a  grant  of  Bibles 
and  Testaments,  and  set  sail  for  Rio  Janeiro  in  order  to  distrib- 
ute them.  This  was  in  1843;  ^^^^  ^^^^  perils  and  experiences, 
as  he  travelled  from  port  to  port,  and  from  place  to  place, 
would  supply  a  chapter  of  strange  adventure.  One  thing  re- 
sulted from  it,  for  which  he  was  thankful,  and  that  was  a  prom- 
ise of  ;^ioo  a  year  from  English  congregations  in  South 
America  toward  the  establishment  of  a  Patagonian  mission. 

6.  Strengthened  by  this  encouragem.ent,  he  returned  again 
to  his  native  land,  where  his  eloquent  and  earnest  appeals  were 
more  successful  than  those  of  his  previous  visit.  The  founda- 
tions of  a  missionary  society  for  Patagonia  and  Terra  del 
Fuego  v/ere  laid  in  1844,  and  before  the  year  expired  he  was 
again  upon  his  old  ground,  along  with  a  Mr.  Hunt,  who  re- 
signed an  endovN^ed  school  in  Kendal  in  order  to  accompany 
him,  and  to  prepare  the  way  for  an  ordained  clergyman. 

7.  Reverses. — Once  more  the  story  of  fatigue  and  danger 
was  enacted  in  reaching  the  natives  ;  but  somehow  things  were 
changed  since  Gardiner  had  left.  Wissale  proved  hostile,  and 
attempted  Gardiner's  life ;  a  Spanish  padre  had  arrived,  and 
had  preoccupied  the  ground ;  and  the  brave  pioneer,  dis- 
appointed but  not  dismayed,  took  advantage  of  the  arrival  of  a 
British  ship  to  return  home  and  wait  a  more  auspicious  oppor- 
tunity. 


CAPTAIN  ALLEN  GARDINER,   R.   N.  25 

8.  Charge  of  Fickleness. — Some  will  say  that  he  exhibited 
less  patience  than  courage,  and  that  as  he  was  prone  to  be  rapid 
and  resolute  in  making  his  beginnings,  so  was  he  also  prone  to 
relinquish  his  projects  without  sufficient  cause.  But  the  whole 
life  of  the  man  contradicts  this  theory.  His  own  view  of  the 
case  is  the  true  explanation  of  his  conduct,  and  it  is  summed  up 
in  the  following  passage  of  his  journal :  "  We  can  never  do 
wrong  in  casting  the  Gospel  net  on  any  side  or  in  any  place. 
During  many  a  dark  and  wearisome  night  we  may  appear  to 
have  toiled  in  vain,  but  it  will  not  be  always  so."  ''If  they 
persecute  you  in  one  city,  flee  ye  to  another." 

9.  Further  Efforts  to  Locate. — It  was  no  marvel  if,  after 
such  failures,  his  supporters  in  England  began  to  hesitate  about 
further  attempts;  but  his  own  resolution  iGmdAiitd  unshaken. 
''Whatever  course  you  may  determine  upon,"  said  our  hero, 
*'  I  have  made  up  my  mind  to  go  back  again  to  South  America, 
and  leave  no  stone  unturned,  no  effort  untried,  to  establish  a 
mission  amongst  the  aboriginal  tribes.  They  have  a  right  to  be 
instructed  in  the  Gospel  of  Christ.  While  God  gives  me 
strength,  failure  shall  not  daunt  me.  This,  then,  is  my  firm 
resolve — to  go  back  and  make  further  researches  among  the 
natives  of  the  interior,  whether  any  possible  opening  may  be 
found  which  has  hitherto  escaped  me  through  the  Spanish 
Americans,  or  whether  Terra  del  Fuego  is  the  only  ground  left 
us  for  our  last  attempt.  This  I  intend  to  do  at  my  own  risk, 
whether  the  Society  is  broken  up  or  not.  Fund  the  money 
which  belongs  to  the  Society,  and  wait  to  see  the  result  of  the 
researches  now  to  be  made.  Our  Saviour  has  given  a  com- 
mandm.ent  to  preach  the  Gospel  even  to  the  ends  of  the  earth. 
He  will  provide  for  the  fulfilment  of  His  ov/n  purpose.  Let  us 
only  obey !  " 

The  deeds  of  the  man  were  as  heroic  as  his  v/ords.  In  1846, 
we  find  him  in  company  with  a  Spanish  Protestant,  making  his 
way  through  Bolivia,  despite  of  fever  and  opposition,  to  reach 
the  Indians  who  lay  beyond ;  and  presently  we  discover  him 
once  again  travelling  up  and  down  through  England,  reporting 
the  openings  he  had  discovered,  and  endeavoring  to  fire  his 
auditors  with  something  of  his  own  burning  enthusiasm.  If  he 
had  found  it  difficult  to  urge  his  committee  on,  they  now  found 
that  it  was  impossible  to  hold  him  back.  Their  means  were 
not  sufficient  to  fit  out  such  an  expedition  as  he  wished  for,  but 
he  induced  them  to  consent  to  an  experimental  one  on  a  smaller 
scale.  With  four  sailors  and  one  ship-carpenter,  a  dingey,  a 
whaleboat,  and  two  wigwams,  he  started  in  1848  in  the  barque 


26       MODERN  APOSTLES  OF  BflSSIONAEY  BYWAYS 

Cfymene,  bound  for  Payta.  He  landed  at  Picton  Island,  where 
the  thievish  propensities  of  the  Fuegians  soon  made  it  manifest 
that  a  mission  amongst  them  could  only  be  safely  conducted 
afloat,  that  for  this  purpose  a  ship  would  be  required,  and  that 
the  boats  which  he  had  brought  from  England  were  unsuited 
for  his  hazardous  enterprise  in  such  stormy  latitudes.  And  so 
the  dauntless  sailor  returned  to  England  to  urge  the  need  of 
larger  means  and  a  more  thorough  equipment. 

lo.  Jlis  Modified  Plans. — He  found  it  impossible  to  stir  up 
the  generosity  of  British  Christians  to  the  liberality  that  was  re- 
quired. No  one  knew  better  than  he  did  what  was  absolutely 
needed  for  such  a  project,  and  again  and  again  he  pressed  his 
convictions  concerning  it  upon  the  Society  at  home.  But  their 
funds  were  small,  and  it  may  be  mentioned  that  of  the  ^£1000 
collected  he  gave  £,2po  himself.  So,  sooner  than  abandon  his 
enterprise,  he  reluctantly  resolved  to  modify  his  plans,  and 
reduce  them  to  the  lowest  estimate,  in  the  self-denying  but 
delusive  hope  that  some  additional  danger  and  hardship, 
endured  by  himself  and  his  companions,  would  compensate  for 
the  absence  of  those  better  equipments  which  his  nautical 
experience  had  so  wisely  suggested  at  the  first. 

VII.  Deeds  of  the  Deathless  Seven. — i.  Personnel  and 
Character. — On  the  7th  September,  1850,  the  expedition  sailed. 
The  names  of  the  deathless  seven  deserve  to  be  recorded. 
Allen  Gardiner  was  the  chief,  and  was  accompanied  by  two 
catechists — Surgeon  Williams  and  John  Maidment ;  three 
Cornish  fishermen — Pearce,  Badcock,  and  Bryant,  well  ac- 
customed to  stormy  seas  in  the  Irish  Channel ;  and  a  ship- 
carpenter  named  Joseph  Erwin,  who  had  been  with  Gardiner 
on  his  previous  voyage,  and  now  volunteered  for  this  fresh 
service,  declaring  that  to  be  with  such  a  captain  **  was  like  a 
heaven  upon  earth,  he  was  such  a  man  of  prayer."  They  were 
all  men  of  simple  piety,  and  went  to  the  work  with  holy  reso- 
lution. From  first  to  last  not  a  jarring  word  was  heard  in  that 
devoted  company,  and  their  one  object  was  "to  serve  the  good 
Master  in  whose  name  they  had  gone  forth.  "^  The  Ocean  Queen, 
bound  for  San  Francisco,  gave  them  a  passage,  and  undertook 
to  land  them  at  Terra  del  Fuego,  with  their  two  launches — the 
Pioneer  and  the  Speedwell,  and  provisions  for  six  months. 

2.  And  now  we  come  to  the  sto7'y  of  the  saddest  disaster  in 
the  records  of  7nissionary  enterprise.  It  had  been  arranged 
that  provisions  for  another  six  months  should  follow  the  party, 
but  the  committee  could  not  find  any  ship  that  would  consent 
to  go  out  of  its  course  to  Picton  Island,  and  they  had  therefore 


CAPTAIN  ALLEN  GARDINER,   R.   N.  27 

to  forward  the  supplies  to  the  Falklands.  The  governor  there 
arranged  to  send  them  on,  but  by  a  sad  fatality  the  vessel  was 
wrecked,  and  the  master  of  a  second  disobeyed  orders,  and  so 
the  missionary  party  were  left  unprovided.  Meantime  they  had 
landed,  but  were  compelled  by  the  plundering  habits  and  hos- 
tile attitude  of  the  natives  to  reembark,  and  seek  shelter  in  a 
distant  and  retired  bay,  where  they  settled  down  in  two  com- 
panies, and  waited  in  longing  expectation  for  the  promised 
relief.  The  storms  crippled  their  boats,  and  destroyed  one  of 
them.  Their  nets  were  torn  to  pieces  by  the  action  of  the  ice, 
and  as  by  an  unfortunate  oversight  their  powder  had  been  for- 
gotten on  board  the  Ocean  Queefi,  they  could  obtain  no  fresh 
supplies  of  food.  At  length  their  stores  were  becoming  ex- 
hausted, and  they  had  to  subsist  mainly  on  limpets,  mussels, 
and  wild  celery.  Scurvy  broke  out  amongst  them,  and  added 
its  horrors  to  those  of  hunger.  One  by  one  they  died  upon  that 
desert  shore,  and  Gardiner  was  the  last  survivor  of  the  gallant 
band  ! 

VIII.  Reports  of  Searching  Parties. — Twenty  days  after 
his  death,  ihtjohn  Davison,  under  Captain  Smyly,  sailed  from 
Montevideo  to  enquire  after  them,  and  soon  anchored  in 
Bamier  Cove.  He  found  a  direction  painted  on  the  rocks — 
"  Gone  to  Spaniard  Harbor."  Let  us  tell  the  sequel  in  Captain 
Smyly's  words : 

1.  Captat?t  Smyly's  Narrative. — '*  Oct.  22,  1851.  Ran  to 
Spaniard  Harbor.  Blowing  a  severe  gale.  Went  on  shore, 
and  found  a  boat  with  one  person  dead  inside ;  another  body 
we  found  on  the  beach,  another  buried.  These,  we  have  every 
reason  to  believe,  are  Pearce,  Williams,  and  Badcock.  The 
sight  was  awful  in  the  extreme.  The  two  captains  who  were 
with  me  in  the  boat  cried  like  children.  Books,  papers, 
medicine  were  strewn  along  the  beach,  and  on  the  boats,  deck, 
and  cuddy.  .  .  .  But  we  had  no  time  to  make  further 
search,  as  the  gale  came  on  so  hard.  It  gave  us  barely  time  to 
bury  the  corpses  on  the  beach  and  get  on  board.  The  gale 
continued  to  increase,  so  that  it  drove  us  from  our  anchorage 
and  out  to  sea.  ...  I  have  never  found  in  my  life  such' 
Christian  fortitude,  such  patience  and  bearing,  as  in  the  records 
of  these  unfortunate  men  ;  they  have  never  murmured,  and  Mr. 
Williams  writes  in  one  of  his  papers,  and  in  the  time  of  greatest 
distress,  '  I  am  happy  beyond  all  expression.'  "  ^ 

2.  Captain  Morshead's  Report. — Meantime,  H.M.S.  Dido 
had  been  ordered  by  the  Admiralty  to  search  for  the  missionary 
party.     She  arrived  in  January,  1852;  and  Captain  Morshead, 


28       MODERN  APOSTLES  OF  MISSIONARY  BYWAYS 

guided  by  the  sentence  on  the  rocks,  made  for  Spaniard  Harbor. 
The  following  is  his  melancholy  record  : 

"Our  notice  was  first  attracted  by  a  boat  lying  upon  the 
beach.  It  was  blowing  very  fresh  from  the  south,  and  the  ship 
rode  uneasily  at  her  anchor.  I  instantly  sent  Lieut.  Pigott  and 
Mr.  Roberts  to  reconnoitre  and  return  immediately,  as  I  was 
anxious  to  get  the  ship  to  sea  again  in  safety  for  the  night ;  they 
returned  shortly,  bringing  some  books  and  papers,  and  having 
discovered  the  bodies  of  Captain  Gardiner  and  Mr.  Maidment 
unburied.  ...  On  one  of  the  papers  was  written  legibly, 
*  If  you  will  Avalk  along  the  beach  for  a  mile  and  a-half,  you 
will  find  us  in  the  other  boat,  hauled  up  in  the  mouth  of  a  river 
at  the  head  of  the  harbor,  on  the  south  side.  Delay  not — we 
are  starving.'  At  this  sad  intelligence  it  was  impossible  to 
leave  that  night,  though  the  weather  looked  very  threatening. 
.  We  landed  early  next  morning,  January  2 2d,  and 
visited  the  spot  where  Captain  Gardiner  and  his  comrade  were 
lying,  and  then  went  to  the  head  of  the  harbor.  We  found 
there  the  wreck  of  a  boat,  with  part  of  her  gear  and  stores,  and 
a  quantity  of  clothing,  with  the  remains  of  two  bodies,  which  I 
conclude  to  be  Mr.  Williams  (surgeon),  and  John  Pearce 
(Cornish  fisherman),  as  the  papers  clearly  show  the  death  and 
burial  of  all  the  rest  of  the  m.ission  party.  The  two  boats  were 
thus  about  a  mile  and  a-half  apart.  Near  the  one  where 
Captain  Gardiner  was  lying  was  a  large  cavern,  called  by  him 
Piojieer  Cavern^  where  they  kept  their  stores  and  occasionally 
slept,  and  in  that  cavern  Mr.  Maidment's  body  was  found. 
.  .  .  Captain  Gardiner's  body  was  lying  beside  the  boat, 
which  apparently  he  had  left,  and  being  too  weak  to  climb  into 
it  again,  had  died  by  the  side  of  it.  We  were  directed  to  the 
cavern  by  a  hand  painted  on  the  rocks,  with  Psalm  Ixii.  5-8 
under  it." 

IX.  Last  Days  and  Burial. — i.  Psalm  Ixii.  ^-8. — The 
words  referred  to  are  the  following,  and  the  choice  of  them 
under  such  circumstances  proves  how  strong  and  unshaken  was 
the  faith  of  Gardiner  and  his  companions:  ^^  My  soul,  wait 
thou  only  upon  God ;  for  my  expectation  is  from  Him.  He 
only  is  my  rock  and  my  salvation  ;  He  is  my  defence ;  I  shall 
not  be  moved.  In  God  is  my  salvation  and  my  glory  ;  the  rock 
of  7ny  strens^th,  and  my  refuge,  is  in  God.'' 

2.  The  diaries,  which  fortunately  have  been  preserved,  give  a 
thrilling  account  of  those  terrible  months  of  patient  endurance 
and  heroic  resolution.  They  tell  moreover  of  the  love  and  con- 
sideration manifested  by  the  noble  leader  for  his  devoted  band. 


CAPTAIN  ALLEN  GARDINER,   R.   N.  29 

There  is  something  unspeakably  touching  in  the  account  of  his 
getting  Maidment  to  construct  crutches  out  of  two  forked  sticks, 
so  that  he  might  try  to  reach  the  other  section  of  his  Uttle  com- 
pany, and  be  a  comfort  to  them.  But  his  strength  was  not 
equal  to  the  effort,  and  he  had  to  return  to  his  boat.  There 
Maidment  ministered  to  him,  until  he  too  sank  from  exhaustion. 
He  had  left  a  little  peppermint-water  beside  the  bed  of  his 
chief,  and  retired  for  rest  to  the  cave,  but  from  it  he  never 
returned. 

3.  When  we  get  otcr  last  glimpse  of  Gardiner,  he  is  weakly 
endeavoring,  with  his  India-rubber  shoe,  to  scoop  some  v/ater 
from  a  little  pool  Avhich  had  trickled  down  at  the  stern  of  his 
boat.  The  last  words  he  wrote  were  these:  ''Our  dear 
brother  left  the  boat  on  Tuesday  at  noon,  and  has  not  since 
returned ;  doubtless  he  is  in  the  presence  of  his  Redeemer, 
whom  he  served  so  faithfully.  Yet  a  little  while,  and  through 
grace  we  may  join  that  blessed  throng,  to  sing  the  praises  of 
Christ  through  eternity.  I  neither  hunger  nor  thirst,  though 
five  days  without  food  !  Marvellous  lovingkindness  to  me  a 
sinner  !  " 

4.  The  Burial. — It  was  with  sorroAving  hearts  the  sailors  of 
the  Dido  gathered  together  all  that  remained  of  this  heroic 
band,  and  gave  them  Christian  sepulture.  The  funeral  service 
was  appropriately  read  by  a  naval  officer  at  the  grave  of  Cap- 
tain Gardiner  and  his  comrades.  The  colors  of  the  boats  and 
ship  were  struck  half-mast,  and  three  volleys  of  musketry  re- 
echoed on  that  lonely  shore,  as  the  last  tribute  of  respect  to  a 
gallant  and  noble-minded  Englishman. 

5.  His  Legacy. — No,  we  will  not  call  it  the  last  tribute  of 
respect.  In  the  letters  and  journals  which  he  wrote  in  his 
''boat  dormitory,"  he  committed  his  mission  to  \a\q  care  of  the 
Christian  Church,  and  sketched  out  the  methods  by  which  he 
thought  it  would  be  best  advanced.  That  legacy  of  faith  and 
love  was  administered  to  in  the  court  of  Christian  charity  by 
devoted  men,  who  became  his  followers  in  the  work  on  which 
he  had  set  his  heart.  His  own  son  was  one  of  that  heroic 
band. 

A  mission  ship  called  the  Allen  Gardiner,  was  built  as  the 
memorial  of  his  name.  The  Falklands  have  been  since  erected 
into  an  English  bishopric,  and  the  first  occupant  of  the  see  is  a 
man  who  had  already  devoted  his  life  to  God  in  the  same  mis- 
sionary field  w^here  Captain  Gardiner  fell.  Perhaps  nothing 
short  of  the  sad  catastrophe  which  we  have  described  would 
have   awakened    English    Christians  out  of  the  apathy  from 


30        MODERN  APOSTLES  OF  MISSIONARY  BYWAYS 

which  Gardiner  had  found  it  so  impossible  to  arouse  them,  or 
kindled  that  zeal  on  behalf  of  South  America  which  we  are 
thankful  to  say  has  been  evoked  by  his  sad  but  glorious  fate. 


^ 


**  The  white  foam  crests  the  wave, 
The  wind  sweeps  weirdly  by ; 
And  whirling  round  with  plaintive  sound 
The  stormy  petrels  cry. 

*'  Amid  the  beetling  rocks, 
In  a  chill  cavern's  shade, 
Within  the  gloom  of  that  strange  dark  tomb 
A  dying  bed  is  made  ! 

*♦  A  gallant  seaman  there 

Casts  round  his  sunken  eyes : 
Unblanched  by  fear,  tho'  grim  Death  is  near, 
A  noble  Christian  dies. 

"  No  greed  for  yellow  gold ; 

To  head  no  conquering  band  ; 
Not  fame  had  led  the  sleeping  dead 
To  seek  that  savage  land. 

*•  I  see  a  morning  dawn, 

A  King  upon  His  throne. 
And  thousands  stand  at  His  right  hand, 
Who  well  their  work  have  done. 

"  With  wreaths  of  victory  crowned. 
Among  that  conquering  band, 
On  the  crystal  sea  his  rest  shall  be, 
Who  died  for  the  Southern  land !  " 


Titus  Coan 

The  St.  Peter  of  Hawaii 
1801-1882 


BY  REV.  S.  J.  HUMPHREY,  D.D.* 

1.  Early  Years. — i.  Birth  and  Education. — Titus  Coan 
was  born  February  i,  180 1,  in  the  town  of  Killingworth,  Conn., 
the  descendant  of  old  New  England  stock.  He  studied  at 
Auburn  Seminary  in  1831-33 ;  and  much  success  attended  his 
evangelistic  labors  in  connection  with  the  revivals  that  followed 
the  preaching  of  his  cousin,  Rev.  Asahel  Nettleton,  and  of  Rev. 
Charles  G.  Finney.  He  was  licensed  to  preach  April  17, 
'^^ZZ  >  ^  ^"^^v  months  afterward  he  was  ordained  to  the  ministry. 

2.  Patagonian  Apprenticeship. — On  August  16,  1833,  under 
the  direction  of  the  American  Board,  he  sailed  on  a  mission  of 
exploration  to  Patagonia,  leaving  behind  him  his  affianced 
bride,  Fidelia  Church,  who  mourned  for  him  as  for  one  never 
to  return.  "I  think  I  am  willing,"  she  wrote  to  him  a  it\^ 
days  before  he  sailed,  "  I  think  I  am  willing  to  give  you  up  to 
the  Lord's  disposal ;  .  .  .  but  oh,  the  life,  the  soul,  of  my 
earthly  joys  has  departed  !  " 

With  one  companion,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Arms,  he  was  set  ashore 
among  the  savages  of  Gregory  Bay.  Their  little  vessel  had 
sighted  the  ''Beagle"  in  the  straits,  the  vessel  on  which 
Charles  Darwin  was  making  his  famous  voyage  of  explora- 
tion. It  is  a  suggestive  thought  that  the  missionaries  of  science 
and  of  religion  should  thus  have  crossed  each  other's  tracks  at 
the  outset. 

Mr.  Coan  and  Mr.  Arms  lived  and  roamed  with  the  ferocious 

*  From  *«  American  Heroes  on  Mission  Fields,"  a  series  of  sketches  of 
like  character,  published  by  the  American  Tract  Society,  New  York. 
Reprinted  by  permission. 

31 


32       MODERN  APOSTLES  OF  MISSIONARY  BYWAYS 

nomads  of  the  eastern  coast  of  Patagonia,  striving  in  vain  to 
communicate  to  them  something  of  their  message.  The  savages 
grew  suspicious  of  their  motives,  and  at  last  it  became  evident 
that  there  was  nothing  to  do  but  to  escape  with  their  hves,  if 
possible.  A  chance  vessel  gave  them  the  opportunity;  they 
evaded  their  captors  by  stratagem,  and  were  returned  to  New 
London  in  May,  1834,  after  an  absence  of  four  months.  It 
was  like  a  reappearance  from  the  dead.  Not  a  word  from  Mr. 
Coan  had  reached  family  or  friends  during  all  this  time ;  and 
to  the  heart  of  one  v/hom  he  had  left  behind  the  separation  was 
perhaps  as  bitter  as  death,  because  of  its  uncertain  duration  and 
fate. 

3.  Marriage  and  Embarkation. — After  this  trial  came  the 
joy  of  reunion  and  the  serious  resolve  of  a  common  consecra- 
tion to  the  missionary's  life-work.     On  the  3d  of  November, 

1834,  Titus  Coan  and  Fidelia  Church  were  married  at  her 
father's  house  in  Cluuchville,  N.  Y.,  and  on  the  5th  of  De- 
cember embarked  at  Boston  on  the  ship  Hellespont  to  spend 
the  remainder  of  their  lives  on  alien  ground.  Six  other  mis- 
sionaries sailed  with  tliemi :  the  Messrs.  Edwin  O.  Hall  and 
Kenry  Dimond,  with  their  wives,  and  the  Misses  Lydia  Brown 
and  E.  W.  Hitchcock. 

4.  Voyage  and  Arrival. — For  all  of  them  it  was  a  very  real 
consecration.  The  Hawaiian  Islands  were  then  the  very  ends 
of  the  earth.  Neither  Mr.  Coan  nor  his  bride  had  any  idea  of 
ever  retracing  their  six  months'  voyage  around  Cape  Horn.  It 
v/as  a  different  affair  from  that  of  a  missionary  post  on  a  raihvay 
and  in  a  European  town.     They  arrived  at  Honolulu  June  6, 

1835,  and  were  v/elcomed  by  the  missionaries  then  assembled 
at  their  annual  meeting.  On  the  21st  of  July  they  readied  the 
serenely-beautiful  village  of  Hilo,  now  a  thriving  town,  then 
the  almost  absolute  retirement  in  which  they  v^-ere  to  spend 
their  lives,  and  here,  devoting  themselves  to  self-denying 
labors,  they  achieved,  through  the  divine  blessing,  a  success 
hardly  paralleled  elsewhere  in  the  history  of  missions. 

II.  Coan's  Parish. — A  strip  of  island  seacoast  from  one  to 
three  miles  wide  and  a  hundred  long,  dotted  with  groves  and 
seamicd  across  by  the  deep  chasms  of  mountain  torrents ;  be- 
hind this,  for  twenty-five  miles,  a  belt  of  dense  forest  and  jungle, 
fencing  in,  since  the  days  of  Vancouver,  numberless  herds  of 
wild  cattle ;  beyond,  in  the  interior,  a  rough,  volcanic  wilder- 
ness, culminating  in  two  summits  14,000  feet  in  height — a 
chaos  of  craters,  some  on  the  peaks  of  mountains,  and  some 
yawning  suddenly  before  you  in  the  forest;  some  long  idle, 


TITUS  CO  AN  33 

some  ceaselessly  active,  making  the  night  lurid  with  their  flames, 
and  still  building  at  the  unfinished  island ;  one,  a  vast  black 
hollow,  three  miles  across,  the  grandest  active  crater  on  the 
globe;  15,000  natives  scattered  up  and  down  the  sea-belt, 
grouped  in  villages  of  from  100  to  300  persons,  a  vicious, 
sensual,  shameless,  and  yet  tractable  people,  slaves  to  tlie 
chiefs,  and  herding  together  almost  like  animals — to  this  parish, 
occupying  the  eastern  third  of  the  island  of  Hawaii,  a  strange 
mingling  of  crags  and  valleys,  of  torrents  and  volcanoes,  of 
beauty  and  barrenness,  and  to  this  interesting  people,  was  called 
the  young  missionary  Titus  Coan. 

III.  At  Work  in  Hilo. — i.  Preview. — We  can  perhaps  see 
more  clearly  the  character  of  Mr.  Coan  and  best  learn  the  secret 
of  his  career  by  looking  in  upon  him  in  the  midst  of  his  work. 
Especially  will  those  memorable  years  of  the  Great  Revival,  in 
which  he  was  one  of  the  chief  factors — 5'ears  which  saw  nearly 
two-thirds  of  these  savage  islanders  transformed  into  Christians 
— give  an  insight  into  the  life  and  qualities  of  this  eminent 
servant  of  God.  If  we  supply  the  record  largely  from  his  own 
pen,  the  result  will  be  all  the  more  satisfactory. 

2.  Earlier  Work  and  Workers. — Upon  reaching  the  island 
he  found  that  some  leaven  of  the  gospel  had  already  been  cast 
into  the  lump  of  heathenism.  Different  missionaries  had  re- 
sided here  for  brief  periods.  Several  schools  had  been  estab- 
lished, and  about  one-fourth  of  the  natives  could  read.  A 
marked  change  had  come  over  the  mental  and  social  condition 
of  the  people.  Most  of  them  had  a  little  knowledge  of  divine 
truth.  There  were  a  it\N  hopeful  converts  and  a  little  church 
of  thirty-six  members. 

3.  Record  of  His  First  Year. — The  Rev.  Mr.  Lyman  and 
his  wife,  most  devoted  and  efficient  colaborers,  v\-ere  already  on 
the  ground  ;  after  an  unbroken  residence  of  fifty-two  years  in 
Hilo,  Mr.  Lyman  died  in  September,  1884.  To  them  came 
the  charge  of  a  boarding-school  and  much  labor  at  the  home 
station;  while  to  Mr.  Coan,  robust  in  health  and  a  fervid 
speaker,  the  preaching  and  the  touring  were  naturally  as- 
signed. His  mental  force  and  abounding  physical  life  revealed 
themselves  at  the  outset.  In  three  months'  time  he  began  to 
speak  in  the  native  tongue,  and  before  the  year  closed  he  had 
made  the  circuit  of  the  island  by  canoe  and  on  foot,  a  trip  of 
three  hundred  miles.  On  this  first  tour,  occupying  thirty  days, 
he  nearly  suffered  wreck  of  his  frail  craft,  as  also  twice  after- 
ward. He  preached  forty-three  times  in  eight  days,  ten  of 
them  in  two  days,   examined  twenty  schools  and   more  than 


34       MODERN  APOSTLES  OF  HUSSION ABY  BYWAYS 

1,200  scholars,  conversed  personally  with  multitudes,  and  min- 
istered to  many  sick  persons,  for  he  was  a  not  wholly  unquali- 
fied physician  withal.  He  had  at  that  time  also  a  daily  school 
of  ninety  teachers  and  Mrs.  Coan  one  of  140  children,  besides 
a  large  class  of  more  advanced  pupils.  This  vigorous  begin- 
ning, however,  was  but  the  prelude  to  the  more  incessant  labor 
and  to  the  marvellous  scenes  of  the  years  following. 

4.  Preludes  to  Pentecost. — On  a  tour  made  in  the  latter  part 
0/1835^  Mr.  Coan  saw  signs  of  unusual  attention  to  the  truth. 
<' Multitudes,"  he  says,  "flocked  to  hear;  many  seemed 
pricked  in  their  hearts.  I  had  literally  no  leisure,  so  much  as 
to  eat.  One  morning  I  found  myself  constrained  to  preach 
three  times  before  breakfast,  which  I  took  at  ten  o'clock."  He 
could  not  move  out  of  doors  without  being  thronged  by  people 
from  all  quarters.  They  lingered  by  the  wayside,  and  some 
followed  him  for  days  from  village  to  village.  Much  of  this 
may  have  been  mere  curiosity  of  an  idle  people ;  but  some  of 
it,  as  the  event  proved,  was  the  working  of  a  divine  leaven. 

The  tours  of  i8j6 — he  sometimes  made  four  or  five  in  a 
year — revealed  that  the  work  was  deepening.  *'  I  began  to  see 
tokens  of  interest  that  I  scarcely  understood  myself.  I  would 
say  to  my  wife,  *  The  people  turn  out  wonderfully.'  The  at- 
tendance increased,  and  many  crowded  around  me  afterward 
to  inquire  the  way.  I  preached  just  as  hard  as  I  could.  There 
was  a  fire  in  my  bones.  I  felt  that  I  must  preach  to  this 
people." 

IV.  Revival  Scenes,  1837-38. — i.  The  Hungry  Multitude. 
— In  1837  the  great  interest  broke  out  openly.  It  was  the 
time  of  a  wonderful  stir  through  all  the  islands.  Nearly  the 
whole  population  of  Hilo  and  Puna  turned  out  to  hear  the 
Word.  The  sick  and  lame  were  brought  on  litters  and  on  the 
backs  of  men,  and  the  infirm  often  crawled  to  the  trail  where 
the  missionary  was  to  pass,  that  they  might  catch  from  his  lips 
some  v/ord  of  life.  And  now  began  a  movement  to  which  the 
history  of  the  Church  furnishes  scarcely  any  parallel.  Fifteen 
tliousand  people,  scattered  up  and  down  the  coast  for  a  hun- 
dred miles,  hungry  for  the  divine  bread,  cannot  be  reached  by 
one  man,  and  so  whole  villages  gather  from  miles  away  aiid 
make  their  homes  near  the  mission-house.  Two-thirds  of  the 
entire  population  come  in.  Within  the  radius  of  a  mile  the  lit- 
tle cabins  were  clustered  as  thick  as  they  could  stand.  Hilo, 
the  village  of  ten  hundred,  saw  its  population  suddenly  swelled 
to  ten  thousand,  and  here  was  held  literally  a  "camp-meeting" 
of  two  years.     At  any  hour  of  the  day  or  night  a  tap  of  the 


TITUS  COAN  35 

bell  would  gather  from  three  thousand  to  six  thousand.  Meet- 
ings for  prayer  and  preaching  were  held  daily.  The  people 
wrought  with  new  industry  at  their  little  taro  patches.  The  sea 
also  gave  them  food.  Schools  for  old  and  young  went  on. 
''Our  wives  held  meetings  for  the  children,  to  teach  them  to 
attend  to  their  persons,  to  braid  mats,  to  make  their  tapas, 
hats,  and  bonnets."  Special  meetings  were  held  for  all  classes 
of  the  people,  for  the  church,  for  parents,  mothers,  the  inquir- 
ing, and  for  church  candidates.  There  was  no  disorder.  A 
Sabbath  quiet  reigned  through  the  crowded  hamlet,  and  from 
every  booth  at  dawn  and  at  nightfall  was  heard  the  voice  of 
prayer  and  praise. 

2.  A  Typical  Assembly. — Let  us  look  in  upon  one  of  the  as- 
semblies. The  old  church,  eighty-five  feet  wide  by  165  long, 
is  packed  with  a  sweltering  and  restless  mass  of  6,000  souls.  A 
new  church  near  by  takes  the  overflow  of  2,000,  while  hun- 
dreds press  about  the  doors,  crowding  every  opening  with  their 
eager  faces.  The  people  sit  upon  the  ground  so  close  that  no 
one,  once  fixed,  can  leave  his  place.  It  is  a  sea  of  heads  with 
eyes  like  stars.  There  is  a  strange  mingling  of  the  new  in- 
terest and  the  old  wildness,  and  the  heated  mass  seethes  like  a 
cauldron.  An  effort  to  sing  a  hymn  is  made.  The  rude,  in- 
harmonious song  would  shock  our  ears,  but  the  attempt  is  hon- 
est, and  God  accepts  it  as  praise.  Prayer  is  offered,  and  the 
sermon  follows.  The  scene  is  most  affecting ;  it  calls  for  all 
the  power  of  the  reaper  to  thrust  in  the  sickle.  The  theme  is 
the  great  salvation,  and  this  the  accepted  time.  The  whole 
audience  trembles  and  weeps,  and  many  cry  aloud  for  mercy. 

3.  It  required  rare  gifts  to  control  such  meetings  and  secure 
good  results ;  and  Mr.  Coan  was  equal  to  the  task.  "  I  would 
rise  before  the  restless,  noisy  crowd  and  begin.  I  soon  felt  that 
I  had  hold  of  them  and  they  would  not  go  away.  The  Spirit 
hushed  them  by  the  truth  till  they  sobbed  and  cried,  *  What 
shall  we  do  ? '  and  the  noise  of  the  weeping  silenced  the 
preacher.  It  was  God's  truth  preached  simply,  and  sent  home 
by  the  Spirit,  that  did  the  work." 

4.  Effects  of  Sermons. — There  were  not  wanting  those 
physical  manifestations  which  have  often  attended  the  work  of 
grace,  especially  among  ruder  peoples.  There  was  weeping, 
sighing,  and  outcrying.  "When  we  rose  for  prayer  some  fell 
down  in  a  swoon.  There  were  hundreds  of  such  cases.  I  did 
not  think  much  of  it.  On  one  occasion  I  preached  from  the 
text,  'Madness  is  in  their  hearts.'  The  truth  seemed  to  have 
an  intense  power.     A  woman  of  great  beauty  rose  and  cried, 


36       MODERN  APOSTLES  OF  MISSIONARY  BYWAYS 

*  Oh,  I'm  the  one ;  madness  is  in  my  heart !  '  She  became  a 
true  Christian.  A  man  cried  out,  *  There's  a  two-edged  sword 
cutting  me  in  pieces ! '  A  backwoods  native,  wicked,  stout, 
who  had  come  in  to  make  fun,  fell  suddenly.  When  he  had 
come  to,  he  said,  *  God  has  struck  me  !  '  He  was  subdued, 
and  gave  evidence  of  being  a  true  Christian.  Once,  on  a  tour, 
while  I  was  preaching  in  the  fields  to  about  two  thousand  per- 
sons, a  man  cried  out,  *  Alas  !  what  shall  I  do  to  be  saved  ?  * 
and  prayed,  *  God  be  merciful  to  me  a  sinner  !  '  The  v>hole 
congregation  joined  in  with  the  ejaculations.  It  was  a  thrilling 
scene.  I  could  get  no  chance  to  speak  for  half  an  hour,  but 
stood  still  to  see  the  salvation  of  God. 

' '  There  were  many  such  scenes ;  and  men  would  come  and  say, 

*  Why  don't  you  put  this  down  ?  '  My  answer  was,  *  I  didn't  get  it 
up.  I  didn't  believe  the  devil  would  set  men  to  praying,  confess- 
ing, and  breaking  off  their  sins  by  righteousness.  These  were  the 
times  when  thieves  brought  back  what  they  had  stolen,  quarrels 
were  reconciled,  the  lazy  became  industrious,  thousands  broke  ' 
their  pipes  and  gave  up  tobacco,  drunkards  stopped  drinking, 
adulteries  ceased,  and  murderers  confessed  their  crimes. 
Neither  the  devil  nor  all  the  men  in  the  world  could  have  got- 
ten this  up.  Why  should  I  put  it  down  ?  I  always  told  the 
natives  that  such  demonstrations  were  no  evidence  of  conver- 
sion, and  advised  them  to  quietness.  And  I  especially  tried 
to  keep  them  from  hypocrisy." 

5.  Into  the  midst  of  these  thrilling  revival  scenes  there  came 
suddenly  a  divine  visitatiott,  which,  under  less  skillful  guidance, 
might  have  proved  a  serious  hindrance  to  the  work.  But  it 
became  a  sermon  more  pungent  than  any  that  human  lips  could 
utter,  and  reached  many  who  had  hitherto  withstood  the  Word. 
It  was  November  7,  1837.  The  revival  was  at  its  height. 
The  crescent  beach,  dotted  with  native  booths,  reaching  up 
into  the  charming  groves  behind,  smiled  in  security.  A 
British  whaler  swung  idly  at  its  moorings,  and  the  ocean  slept 
in  peace.  From  daybreak  onward  the  usual  succession  of 
meetings  was  held.  One  of  the  texts  was,  "  Be  ye  also  ready." 
At  the  time  of  evening  prayer  a  heavy  sound  was  heard  upon 
the  beach  as  of  a  falling  mountain.  Instantly  a  great  cry  and 
wail  arose,  and  a  scene  of  indescribable  confusion  followed. 
The  sea  had  suddenly  risen  in  gigantic  waves  and  fallen  upon 
the  shore.  Men,  women,  children,  houses,  canoes,  food, 
clothing,  everything,  floated  wild  upon  the  flood.  So  sudden 
was  the  catastrophe  that  the  people  were  literally  '*  eating  and 
drinking,"  and  "knew  not  till  the  flood  came  and  swept  them 


TITUS  COAN  37 

all  away.  The  volcanic  wave  fell  like  a  bolt  of  heaven,  and  no 
man  had  time  to  flee  or  to  save  his  garment.  In  a  moment 
hundreds  of  people  were  struggling  with  the  raging  billows. 
Some  were  dashed  upon  the  shore ;  some  were  drawn  out  by- 
friends  who  came  to  their  relief;  some  were  carried  out  to  sea 
by  the  retiring  current ;  and  some  sank  to  rise  no  more  till  the 
call  to  judgment  wakes  them."  There  was  no  sleep  that  night. 
"  To  the  people  it  seemed  to  be  as  the  voice  of  Almighty  God 
when  He  speaketh."  The  next  day  the  meetings  went  on  with 
renewed  power ;  and  through  all  the  week,  as  the  sea  gave  up, 
one  after  another,  its  dead,  and  the  people  bore  them  with 
funeral  rites  to  their  resting-places,  the  Spirit  sent  home  this 
new  sermon  with  divine  effect. 

6.  Secrets  of  Blessing. — In  the  year  1838  the  waves  of  sal- 
vation rolled  deep  and  broad  over  the  whole  field,  and  the  con- 
verts were  numbered  by  thousands.  We  may  well  ask,  in  view 
of  so  slender  a  missionary  force.  By  what  aids  and  means  were 
such  results  wrought  and  secured  in  permanency  ?  There  was 
a  marvellous  outpouring  of  the  Spirit.  The  batde-cry  was, 
*<The  sword  of  the  Lord."  But  it  was  also  the  "sword  of 
Gideon."  The  human  means  were  adapted  to  produce  the  re- 
sults. Mr.  Lyman  was  a  true  yoke-fellow,  preaching  in  addi- 
tion to  teaching.  The  missionaries'  wives,  besides  caring  for 
their  own  little  children,  held  daily  meetings  with  the  women, 
the  audiences  sometimes  numbering  thousands.  The  method 
of  Mr.  Coan  was  wise ;  his  energy  and  zeal  were  indefatigable. 

7.  As  we  turn  over  his  letters,  written  at  that  time,  the  wis- 
dom to  plan  and  the  strength  to  execute  which  were  given  him 
of  the  Lord  seem  marvellous.  *'  On  these  tours,"  he  says,  ''  I 
usually  spend  from  two  to  five  weeks,  visiting  all  the  church 
members  in  their  respective  villages,  calling  all  their  names, 
holding  personal  interviews  with  them,  inquiring  into  their 
states,  their  hearts,  prayers,  and  manner  of  living ;  counselling, 
reproving  and  encouraging,  as  the  case  may  require,  and  often 
*  breaking  bread  '  from  place  to  place,  besides  preaching  twenty 
or  thirty  times  a  week."  The  physical  labor  of  these  tours  was 
great.  The  northern  part  of  his  parish  was  crossed  by  sixty- 
three  ravines  from  twenty  to  a  thousand  feet  in  depth,  difficult 
of  passage,  and,  in  times  of  rain,  perilous.  And  then  the 
rivers,  leaping  and  foaming  along  the  old  fire-channels,  must  be 
crossed.  ''Some  of  them  I  succeeded  in  fording;  some  I 
swam,  by  the  help  of  a  rope  to  prevent  me  from  being  swept 
away ;  and  over  some  I  was  carried  passively  on  the  broad 
shoulders  of  a  native,  while  a  company  of  strong  men  locked 


38       MODERN  APOSTLES  OF  MISSIONARY  BYWAYS 

hands  and  stretched  themselves  across  the  stream  just  below  me 
and  just  above  a  near  cataract,  to  save  me  from  going  over  it  if 
my  bearer  should  fall."  This  experience  was  often  repeated 
three  or  four  times  a  day. 

V.  Parish  Work. — i.  Overtaking  His  Parish. — It  was 
only  by  an  exact  system  that  Mr.  Coan  was  able  to  ''overtake  " 
his  parish  of  15,000  souls.  Neither  St.  Francis  nor  Dr.  Chal- 
mers knew  his  people  better  than  he.  When  his  church  num- 
bered more  than  5,000  he  could  say,  '' My  knowledge  of  the 
religious  experiences  and  daily  habits  of  the  individuals  of  my 
flock  at  the  present  time  is  more  minute  and  thorough  than  it 
was  when  the  church  numbered  only  fifty  or  a  hundred  mem- 
bers. By  drawing  lines  in  my  parish,  by  dividing  the  people 
into  sections  and  classes,  by  attending  to  each  class  separately, 
systematically,  and  at  a  given  time,  and  by  a  careful  examina- 
tion and  a  frequent  review  of  every  individual  in  each  respective 
class,  by  keeping  a  notebook  always  in  my  pocket  to  refresh 
my  memory,  by  the  help  of  many  faithful  church  members,  and 
by  various  collateral  helps  I  am  enabled,  through  the  grace  of 
God,  to  gain  tenfold  more  knowledge  of  the  individuals  of  my 
flock,  and  of  the  candidates  for  church-membership,  than  I 
once  thought  it  possible  to  obtain  in  such  circumstances." 

2.  The  children  did  not  escape  his  care.  From  his  earliest 
ministry  he  had  believed  in  childhood  conversions.  Besides 
Sabbath-school  instruction,  a  regular  weekly  lecture  was  main- 
tained for  them  throughout  the  year.  There  were  also  numer- 
ous occasional  meetings  for  different  classes  of  children — for 
those  in  church-fellowship,  for  the  children  of  church  members, 
and  for  the  anxious.  During  the  protracted  meetings  there  was 
usually  a  sermon  each  day  for  them  at  eight  o'clock  in  the 
morning.  As  the  result  of  this  faithfulness  there  were,  in  1838, 
about  400  children,  between  the  ages  of  five  and  fifteen  years, 
connected  with  his  church. 

3.  Syste7natic,  Universal  Evangelization. — It  was  Mr. 
Coan's  purpose  that  there  should  be  no  one  in  all  Puna  or  Hilo 
upon  whom  the  claims  of  the  gospel  had  not  been  pressed.  No 
village  was  so  remote  or  insignificant  that  it  did  not  receive 
frequent  visits.  Families  were  tracked  into  mountain  fastnesses 
and  plied  with  the  invitations  of  mercy.  In  order  to  do  this 
"many  of  the  more  discreet,  prayerful,  and  intelligent  of  the 
members  were  stationed  at  important  posts,  with  instructions  to 
hold  conference  and  prayer-meetings,  conduct  Sabbath-schools, 
and  watch  over  the  people.  Some  of  these  native  helpers  were 
men  full  of  faith  and  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  succeeded  admirably. 


TITUS  CO  AN  39 

Otiier  active  members  were  selected  and  sent  forth,  two  and 
two,  into  every  village  and  place  of  the  people.  They  went 
everywhere  preaching  the  Word.  They  visited  the  villages, 
climbed  the  mountains,  traversed  the  forests,  and  explored  the 
glens  in  search  of  the  wandering  and  the  dying  sons  of 
Hawaii." 

On  one  occasion  Mr.  Coan  sent  out  about  forty  church  mem- 
bers to  visit  from  house  to  house  and  in  all  the  ' '  highways  and 
hedges  "  within  five  miles  of  the  station.  They  were  instructed 
to  pray  in  every  house,  to  look  after  all  the  sick,  the  wretched, 
and  the  friendless,  to  stir  up  the  minds  of  the  converts,  and  to 
gather  the  children.  Two  days  were  spent  in  this  way.  Every 
cottage  was  entered,  every  fastness  of  Satan  scoured.  ''The 
immediate  result  was  that  several  back-loads  of  tobacco,  awa^ 
and  pipes  were  brought  in  and  burned,  and  about  500  hitherto 
careless  and  hardened  ones  were  gathered  into  the  house  of 
God  to  hear  the  words  of  life.  The  Spirit  of  the  Lord  fell 
upon  them,  and  it  is  believed  that  many  of  them  were  born 
again." 

To  the  heart  of  otir  missionary  the  ingatherings  of  the  souls 
over  whom  he  had  brooded  with  such  intense  solicitude  were 
occasions  of  rare  delight.  They  were  also  times  of  great  solici- 
tude. 

4.  Preparing  and  Sifting  Candidates. — The  great  harvest 
years  v/ere  1838  and  1839.  Seven  or  eight  thousand  natives  had 
professed  conversion,  but  very  few  had  thus  far  been  received 
to  the  church.  The  utmost  care  was  taken  in  selecting,  examin- 
ing, watching,  and  teaching  the  candidates.  The  ever-faithful 
notebook  was  constantly  in  hand.  People  from  the  distant 
villages  came  in  and  spent  several  months  at  the  station  previ- 
ous to  their  union  with  the  church.  Day  by  day  they  were 
watched  over  and  instructed  with  unceasing  labor.  Together 
with  those  on  the  ground,  they  were  examined  personally  many 
times,  sifted  and  resifted  with  scrutiny,  and  every  effort  was 
made  to  discriminate  the  precious  from  the  vile.  Many  of 
them  were  converts  of  two  years'  standing.  A  still  larger  class 
had  been  on  the  list  for  more  than  one  year,  and  a  smaller 
number  for  a  less  period.  The  accepted  ones  stood  propounded 
for  several  weeks,  and  the  church  and  the  world,  friends  and 
enemies,  were  called  upon  and  solemnly  charged  to  testify  if 
they  knew  aught  against  any  of  them. 

5,  The  communion  season  was  held  quarterly,  and  at  these 
times  the  converts,  thus  accepted,  were  added  to  the  church. 
The  fi.rst  Sunday  of  January,  1838,  104  were  received.     After- 


40       310 BERN  APOSTLES  OF  BIISSIONARY  BYWAYS 

ward,  at  different  times,  502,  450,  786,  357,  and  on  one  occa- 
sion a  much  larger  number.  The  station  report  for  the  mission 
year  ending  June,  1839,  gives  the  number  of  accessions  for  that 
twelve  months  at  5,244.  A  large  number  of  these  never  came 
to  the  central  station.  The  sick,  the  aged,  and  the  infirm  were 
baptized  and  received  into  fellowship  at  their  own  villages. 
Some  believers  were  thus  accepted  who  could  neither  walk  nor 
be  carried,  and  who  lived  far  up  in  the  mountains. 

VI.  A  Memorable  Day. — i.  The  first  Simday  of  July, 
i8j8,  was  a  memorable  one  in  the  history  of  missions.  It  was 
the  day  of  the  greatest  accession.  On  that  afternoon  1,705 
men,  women  and  children,  v/ho  aforetime  had  been  heathen, 
were  baptized  and  took  upon  them  the  vows  of  God,  and  about 
2,400  communicants  sat  down  together  at  the  table  of  the 
Lord. 

2.  Baptism  of  Candidates. — We  look  in  upon  that  scene 
with  wonder  and  awe.  The  great  crush  of  people  at  the  morn- 
ing sermon  has  been  dismissed,  and  the  house  is  cleared. 
Down  through  the  middle  are  seated  first  the  original  members 
of  the  church,  perhaps  fifty  in  number.  Mr.  Coan  then  calls 
upon  the  head  man  of  each  village  to  bring  forward  his  people. 
With  notebook  in  hand,  he  carefully  selects  the  converts  who 
have  been  previously  accepted.  They  have  been  for  many 
weeks  at  the  station.  No  pains  have  been  spared,  no  test  left 
unused,  with  each  individual  to  ascertain  if  he  be  truly  a  child 
of  God.  The  multitude  of  candidates  is  then  seated  upon  the 
earth  floor,  in  close  rows,  with  space  enough  between  for  one  to 
walk.  There  is  prayer  and  singing,  and  an  explanation — al- 
ready made  many  times,  that  none  may  trust  in  the  external 
rite — is  given  of  the  baptism  they  are  now  to  receive ;  the  seal- 
ing ordinance  is  reverently  administered.  *'I  never  witnessed 
such  a  scene  before,"  said  Mr.  Coan,  looking  back  through  the 
lapse  of  thirty  years.  '*  There  was  a  hush  upon  the  vast  crowd 
without,  who  pressed  about  the  doors  and  windows.  The  can- 
didates and  the  church  were  all  in  tears,  and  the  overshadow- 
ing presence  of  God  was  felt  in  every  heart." 

3.  Then  followed  the  Lord's  Supper,  And  who  are  these 
that  take  into  their  hands  the  emblems  of  the  Lord's  death  ? 
Let  Him  tell  who  broke  the  bread  and  gave  the  cup.  **Not 
only  the  young  and  strong  were  there ;  but  also  the  old  and 
decrepit,  the  lame,  the  blind,  the  maimed,  the  withered,  the 
paralytic,  and  those  afflicted  with  divers  diseases  and  torments ; 
those  with  eyes,  noses,  lips,  and  limbs  consumed  with  the  fire  of 
their  own  or  their  parents'  lusts,  with  features  distorted  and 


TITUS  COAN  41 

figures  the  most  deformed  and  loathsome;  these  came  hob- 
bling upon  their  staves,  and  led  or  borne  by  their  friends,  they 
sat  down  at  the  table  of  the  Lord.  Among  this  throng  you 
could  see  the  hoary  priest  of  idolatry  with  hands  but  recently, 
as  it  were,  washed  from  the  blood  of  human  victims,  together 
with  the  thief,  the  adulterer,  the  unclean,  the  sorcerer,  the  high- 
way robber,  the  blood-stained  murderer,  and  the  mother — no, 
the  monster — whose  hands  have  reeked  in  the  blood  of  her  own 
children.  All  these  met  together  before  the  cross  of  Christ, 
with  their  enmity  slain  and  themselves  v/ashed,  sanctified,  and 
justified  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus  and  by  the  Spirit  of  our 
God."  Has  Jesus  come  again?  Is  this  one  of  the  crowds 
which  He  has  gathered,  upon  whom  He  has  pronounced  the 
words  of  healing  ?  Surely  it  is.  In  very  deed  He  is  there. 
These  are  the  lost  whom  the  Son  of  man  came  to  seek  and  to 
save.  And  the  rejoicing  angels  are  there ;  they  leave  behind 
the  pomp  of  cathedrals,  and  fly  with  eager  wing  to  this  lowly 
island  tabernacle.  With  holy  wonder  they  hover  over  the 
bowed  heads  of  these  weeping  redeemed  sinners.  <<The 
bright  seraphim  in  burning  row"  ring  out  anew  the  praises  of 
the  Highest  as  they  hear  recounted  these  triumphs  of  almighty 
grace. 

VII.  Abiding  Results. — It  sometimes  happens  that  men 
who  have  had  remarkable  success  in  winning  souls  to  Christ 
fail  in  the  after-training  of  their  converts.  And  the  question 
will  naturally  arise,  Do  these  results  abide  ?  Tried  by  any  fit- 
ting standard,  we  can  safely  say.  They  do  abide. 

I.  The  care  and  painstaking  of  the  pastor  were  not  less  re- 
markable than  the  success  of  the  preacher.  There  were  reac- 
tiofts.  But  what  revival  in  America — where  the  people  have 
garnered  into  themselves  the  growth  and  moral  stamina  of  a 
thousand  Christian  years — is  not  followed  by  reaction  ?  There 
were  apostasies ;  but  we  are  constrained  to  say,  after  careful 
examination,  that  the  permanence  of  the  results  seems  to  us 
almost  as  marvellous  as  the  revival  itself.  During  the  five  years 
ending  June,  1841,  7,557  persons  were  received  into  the  church 
at  Hilo.  They  were  about  three-fourths  of  the  adult  popula- 
tion of  the  parish.  About  one  in  sixty  came  under  discipline 
— a  discipline  stricter  than  ours  at  home,  and  that  among  babes 
in  Christ.  The  greater  part  of  these  were  restored,  and  few 
were  finally  cut  off.  *'I  never  administered  the  quarterly 
sacrament  without  receiving  from  ten  to  twenty  persons.  No 
year  has  the  number  gone  below  fifty.  It  did  not  prove  a 
great  excitement,  to  die  out.     When  I  left  for  a  brief  visit  to 


42       MODERN  APOSTLES  OF  MISSIONARY  BYWAYS 

the   United  States,   in  April,    1870,   I  had  received  into  the 
church,  and  myself  baptized,  11,960  persons." 

2.  Under  this  training  the  people  became  more  and  more 
settled  m  faith  a?id  morals.  An  irruption  of  Catholic  priests 
drew  away  but  few  of  them.  There  never  was  a  grog-shop  in 
the  entire  parish.  Probably  to-day  the  ratio  of  people  in  New 
England  who  cannot  read  and  write  is  greater  than  among  the 
Hawaiians  in  Hilo  and  Puna.  Not  in  New  England  is  the 
Sabbath  better  observed ;  and  the  industries  of  civilization  have 
now  largely  taken  the  place  of  the  old  savage  indolence. 

3.  In  1867  the  grand  old  church  was  divided  mto  seven  local 
churches,  six  of  them  v/ith  native  pastors.  Three  of  these  are 
on  the  lava-fields  of  the  south,  and  three  among  the  ravines  of 
the  north.  The  remaining  one  is  at  Plilo,  where  also  is  an 
American  church  for  the  foreign  population.  To  accommodate 
the  widely-scattered  people,  these  churches  have  built  fifteen 
places  of  worship,  seating  from  500  to  3,000  people  each. 
Five  of  them  have  bells,  and  the  church  building  at  Hilo  cost 
about  ^14,000.  This  has  been  done  with  the  Hawaiians'  own 
money  and  by  their  own  labor. 

4.  Another  fruit  of  the  faithful  training  of  Mr.  Coan  is  the 
growth  of  beneficence  in  the  churches.  The  Monthly  Concert 
was  held  from  the  beginning,  and  a  contribution  was  always 
taken.  They  *' first  gave  their  own  selves  to  the  Lord,"  and 
then  it  was  '^according  to  that  a  man  hath  " — a  fish,  a  fowl,  a 
cocoanut,  and  later,  money,  but  in  all  sacrifice  and  worship. 
Each  month,  on  the  first  Sunday  morning,  a  sermon  was 
preached  on  some  department  or  interest  of  Christ's  kingdom 
in  the  broad  world.  They  never  even  heard  that  miserable 
sentence  of  a  narrow  faith,  '•'■  There  is  so  much  to  do  at  home  !  " 
Their  lips  never  uttered  the  miserly  falsehood,  ''It  takes  a  dol- 
lar to  send  a  dollar  to  the  heathen."  They  were  instructed  in 
all  causes,  and  gave  to  all.  More  than  ^10,000  have  come  to 
the  United  States  from  the  Hilo  church ;  ^200  went  to  a 
Chinese  mission,  and  ^100  to  Syria  at  the  time  of  the  massacre 
and  famine.  The  appeal  of  Father  Chiniquy,  in  Kankakee, 
Illinois,  reached  them  ;  and  when  the  letter  which  brought  him 
$200  from  these  poor  islanders  was  read  his  whole  congrega- 
tion bowed  down  weeping  !  Their  monthly  collections  have 
averaged  from  the  beginning  about  ^100,  the  highest  reaching 
^265,  and  the  grand  aggregate  for  all  religious  purposes  amounts 
to  above  ^100,000. 

5.  Missionary  Enterprises. — One  of  the  legitimate  fruits  of 
a  true  Christian  training  is  a  desire  to  carry  the  gospel  to  "the 


TITUS  COAN  43 

regions  beyond."  The  faithful  pastor  was  not  slow  to  perceive 
this,  and  he  was  among  the  first  to  advocate  a  native  mission 
to  Micro?iesia. 

The  idea  of  a  missionary  packet,  and  an  appeal  to  the  chil- 
dren of  the  United  States  to  build  it,  seems  to  have  sprung 
from  his  fertile  brain. 

As  a  delegate  of  the  Hawaiian  Missionary  Society  he  made 
two  voyages  in  the  ^^  Morning  Star''  to  the  Marquesas  Islands. 
After  the  wreck  of  the  second  ship  he  became  an  earnest  advo- 
cate of  steam  as  an  auxiliary  motor  to  help  the  little  vessel  in 
its  errands  of  mercy.  He  had  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  nearly 
a  score  of  persons,  wholly  sustained  by  his  church,  go  out  on 
the  ''Morning  Star"  as  foreign  missionaries  to  the  dark  islands 
of  Micronesia. 

VIII.  Mrs.  Coan. — i.  Mrs.  Coan's  work  was  not  less 
constant  and  tireless.  For  several  years  she  taught  a  school  for 
young  girls.  This  she  was  finally  forced  to  relinquish  by  the 
growing  cares  of  her  family,  cares  that  were  doubly  exhausting 
in  that  land  of  untrained  servants  and  wholly  unorganized 
social  life.  A  great  labor  of  entertaining  also  fell  unavoidably 
upon  her.  The  traveller  may  now  find  excellent  boarding- 
houses  in  the  beautiful  and  flourishing  town  of  Hilo ;  but  dur- 
ing all  of  Mrs.  Coan's  life  both  friends  and  strangers  came  to 
the  missionaries  for  unrequited  entertainment.  The  most 
serious  trial  of  the  early  days  has  not  been  mentioned.  One  by 
one  her  children  left  her  to  continue  their  education  and  to  seek 
their  home  in  the  United  States.  It  was  the  most  cruel  trial  of 
the  parent's  heart,  for  these  partings  were  often  final. 

2.  Her  Death  and  Character. — On  the  occasion  of  their 
visit  to  the  United  States  in  1870,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Coan  renewed 
many  old  ties  and  formed  many  new  ones.  But  Mrs.  Coan's 
strength  was  already  spent  in  the  service.  She  died  at  Hilo 
on  the  29th  of  September,  1872.  A  woman  of  tender  frame 
and  of  high  social  and  intellectual  cultivation,  this  missionary 
work  was  for  her  a  sacrificial  consecration.  Through  her 
whole  island  life  she  was  an  invalid.  But  she  was  her  hus- 
band's faithful  helpmeet  during  thirty-eight  years  of  married 
life;  she  was  the  patient,  intelligent,  unselfish,  and  loving 
spirit  to  whom  a  great  part  of  Mr.  Coan's  large  success  was 
due — a  greater  part  indeed  than  the  world  will  ever  know. 
Mrs.  Coan  was  his  guide,  counsellor,  friend,  and  fellow-worker. 
Accepting  a  task  which  her  deep  and  sure  intelligence  told  her 
from  the  first  was  too  severe  for  her,  she  never  flagged  until  her 
strength  and  life  were  spent,  until  she  fell,  a  Christian  martyi*. 


44       MODERN  APOSTLES  OF  3IISSI0NABY  BYWAYS 

IX.  Characteristics  and  Final  Years. — i.  While  Mr. 
Coan  was  intent  upon  his  great  work  as  a  missionary,  he  was  no/ 
insensible  to  the  scenes  of  natural  beauty  and  grandeur  around 
him.  His  two  volumes,  ''Adventures  in  Patagonia,"  and 
<*Life  in  Hawaii,"  are  written  with  a  graphic  pen,  and  reveal 
not  only  keen  observation,  but  a  fine  poetic  sense.  The  great- 
est volcano  on  the  globe  was  in  his  parish.  He  was  the  ardent 
and  frequent  observer  of  grand  phenomena — the  shudder  of 
earthquakes,  the  inflowing  of  great  volcanic  waves,  the  red 
glow  of  lava  streams  marching  seaward,  the  leaping  of  fire 
cataracts  into  deep-lying  pools,  sending  off  the  water  in  steam 
and  burning  them  dry  in  a  night.  There  were  few  days  when 
the  smoke  of  subterranean  furnaces  was  out  of  his  sight. 

Once  a  river  of  lava,  burrowing  its  way  toward  the  sea  1,500 
feet  below  the  surface,  broke  over  the  shore  cliff  and  leaped 
into  the  hissing  waves,  waking  a  tumultuous  fury  among  the 
contending  elements  that  was  perfectly  indescribable.  At  an- 
other time,  from  Mauna  Loa,  one  of  the  loftiest  mountains  of 
the  island,  a  pillar  of  fire,  200  feet  in  diameter,  lifted  itself  for 
three  weeks  1,000  feet  in  the  air,  making  darkness  day  for  a 
hundred  miles  around,  and  leaving  as  its  monument  a  vast  lava 
cone  a  mile  in  circumference. 

2.  Contributions  to  Science. — The  scientific  world  is  fortu- 
nate in  having  had  upon  the  ground  for  nearly  fifty  years, 
where  such  titanic  forces  were  at  play,  one  whose  courage  and 
love  of  adventure  were  equalled  only  by  his  faithfulness  and 
graphic  skill  in  portraying  the  most  imposing  of  phenomena. 

3.  The  evening  of  Mr.  Coan's  days  was  spent  as  pastor  of 
the  large  church  at  Hilo,  and  in  apostolic  supervision  of  the 
diocese  which  had  sprung  up  under  his  care.  A  happy  second 
marriage  cheered  his  later  years,  and  the  loving  wife  that  min- 
istered tenderly  at  his  dying  bed  survives  to  mourn  his  loss. 

4.  Last  Days. — In  the  latter  part  of  1882,  during  a  revival 
into  which  he  threw  himself  with  unceasing  ardor  as  of  old,  he 
was  suddenly  smitten  down  with  a  paralytic  shock.  For  several 
weeks  he  lay  "helpless,  with  only  love,  joy,  peace  in  his  soul, 
his  beautiful  patience  and  submission  completing  the  lesson 
that  his  life  had  given  of  obedience  to  his  Lord."  He  re- 
covered in  part,  so  that  the  day  before  his  death  he  was  car- 
ried through  the  streets  looking  natural  and  well.  Almost  the 
entire  village  flocked  out  to  greet  him,  and  all  were  glad  to 
have  had  that  last  look.  The  next  day  at  noon  he  was  stand- 
ing among  the  redeemed  throng  on  high.  And  thus  passed  out 
of  toil  into  rest,  Dec.  i,  1882,  at  the  ripe  age  of  eighty-two 


TITUS  COAN  45 

years,    the    Rev.    Titus    Coan,    missionary   to   the  Hawaiian 
Island. 

5.  We  can  think  of  no  more  beaiitifully-ordered  depai'ture 
than  his.  It  was  meet  that  a  life  which  had  witnessed  such 
scenes  of  revival  should  have  given  its  last  labors  in  ardent 
eiforts  for  lost  souls,  and  that  in  the  midst  of  the  toils  of  a  sea- 
son of  refresliing  from  the  Most  High  the  tense  bow  should 
have  broken.  There  was  a  divine  and  delightful  fitness  that 
the  spirit  of  the  aged  warrior  should  ascend  to  its  reward 
from  the  battlefield  where  the  gracious  conflict  w^as  still  rag- 
ing, and  where  such  amazing  triumphs  of  infinite  love  had  been 
achieved. 


James  Gilmour 

"Brave"  Missionary  to  the  Mongols 
1843-1891 


BY  REV.  HARLAN  P.  BEACH 

Although  it  was  the  writer's  privilege  to  know  the  subject  of 
this  sketch,  James  Gilmour  had  unusual  powers  of  description 
— a  De  Foe,  the  Spectator  called  him — and  hence  he  has  been 
allowed,  so  far  as  was  possible,  to  speak  for  himself  in  these 
pages.  A  great  life,  however,  cannot  be  compressed  into  small 
compass,  and  the  reader  will  need  to  look  elsewhere  for  details 
of  Gilmour' s  remarkable  career. 

I.  His  Forebears  and  Parents. — Those  who  knew  Gil- 
mour on  the  field  see  in  his  ancestry  and  parentage  the  root 
from  which  many  of  his  most  striking  characteristics  may  have 
sprung. 

1 .  Thus  his  paternal  grandparents,  Matthew  Gilmour,  mason 
and  wright,  and  his  practical  wife,  whose  love  for  the  Lord's 
House  led  them  to  walk  regularly  five  miles  to  church,  return- 
ing by  lantern-light,  may  have  had  much  to  do  with  his  strict 
observance  of  the  Sabbath.  So,  too,  the  later  successes  of  the 
Mongol  lay  physician  remind  us  of  his  father's  7nother,  who 
was  an  amateur  doctor  and  nurse  of  great  local  reputation,  and 
who,  "  in  order  to  obtain  the  lymph  pure  for  the  vaccination  of 
children,  would  take  it  herself  direct  from  the  cow." 

The  story  told  of  John  Pettigrew,  his  maternal  grandfather y 
narrating  how  this  scrupulously  honest  farmer-miller  compelled 
the  minister  to  retract  his  charge  of  scant  measure,  besides 
bearing  back  in  triumph  the  surplus  oatmeal,  is  only  another 
form  of  anecdotes  that  might  be  told  of  his  equally  blunt  and 
honest  grandson. 

2.  Naturally  our  hero  owed  most  to  the  home  of  the  village 
wright   of  Cathkin,  distant   five  miles  from   Glasgow,  where 

46 


JA3IES  GILMOUR  47 

James  was  born  on  June  12,  1843,  being  the  third  in  a  family 
consisting  of  six  sons,  all  but  one  of  whom  reached  maturity. 
The  father,  James  Gilmour,  Sr.,  and  his  wife,  Elizabeth  Petti- 
grew,  were  parents  of  the  best  Scottish  type,  whose  chief  con- 
cern was  to  live  godly  lives  themselves  and  to  rear  their  chil- 
dren for  usefulness  through  instilling  the  life  and  precepts  found 
in  the  Scriptures. 

^^  Family  worship,  morning  and  evening,"  his  brother  John 
\vrites,  <<  was  a  most  regular  and  sacred  observance  in  our  house, 
and  consisted  of  first,  asking  a  blessing ;  second,  singing  twelve 
lines  of  a  psalm  or  paraphrase,  or  a  hymn  from  VVardlaw's 
Hymn-book ;  third,  reading  a  chapter  from  the  Old  Testament 
in  the  mornings,  and  from  the  New  in  the  evenings;  and 
fourth,  prayer.  The  chapters  read  v.-ere  taken  day  by  day  in 
succession,  and  at  the  evening  worship  we  read  two  verses  each 
all  round.  This  proved  rather  a  trying  ordeal  for  some  of  the 
apprentices,  one  or  more  of  whom  we  usually  had  boarding 
with  us,  or  to  a  new  servant  girl,  as  their  education  in  many 
cases  had  not  been  of  too  liberal  a  description.  But  they  scon 
got  more  proficient,  and  if  it  led  them  to  nothing  higher,  it  was 
a  good  educational  help.  These  devotional  exercises  were  not 
common  in  the  district  in  the  mornings  and  were  apt  to  be 
broken  in  upon  by  callers  at  the  wright's  shop ;  but  that  was 
never  entertained  as  an  excuse  for  curtailing  them.  I  suppose 
people  in  the  district  got  to  know  of  the  custom,  and  avoided 
making  their  calls  at  a  time  when  they  would  have  to  wait  some 
little  while  for  attention.  Our  parents,  however,  never  allowed 
this  practice  or  their  religious  inclinations  to  obtrude  on  their 
neighbors ;  all  was  done  most  unassumingly  and  humbly,  as  a 
matter  of  everyday  course." 

Sundays  were  red-letter  occasions,  as  the  mother  read  to  the 
boys,  gathered  about  her  knee,  the  most  impressive  children's 
stories  of  the  day,  accomxpanying  the  reading  with  serious  com- 
ments and  frequently  with  the  words,  ''Wouldn't  it  be  fine,  if 
some  of  you,  when  you  grow  up,  should  be  able  to  write  such 
nice  little  stories  as  these  for  children,  and  do  some  good  in 
the  world  in  that  way  !  "  His  Robinson  Crusoe  of  missionary 
literature,  "Among  the  Mongols,"  and  the  scarcely  less  de- 
lightful ''James  Gilmour  and  His  Boys"  were  the  realization 
of  her  prophecy  in  the  optative  mode.  Fitly  closing  the  well- 
spent  Sabbath,  came  the  second  group,  this  time  gathered 
about  the  father,  who  read  aloud  from  the  "  big  "  Bible — Scott 
and  Henry's — comments  upon  a  selected  portion  of  Scripture. 

II.  Preparation   for   His    Life-work. — Aside  from   the 


48       MODERN  APOSTLES  OF  MISSIONARY  BYWAYS 

helpful  influences  of  a  godly  Scotch  home,  so  fruitful  in  mold- 
ing some  of  the  world's  greatest  missionaries — men  like  Alex- 
ander Duff,  David  Livingstone,  and  John  G.  Paton — Gilmour's 
boyhood  was  spent  under  very  favorable  intellectual  conditions, 
as  his  father's  comfortable  circumstances  permitted  the  boy  to 
enjoy  good  educational  advantages. 

1.  Attending  from  his  eighth  year  until  he  was  about  twelve 
the  Subscription  School  at  Bushyhill,  Cambuslang,  James  was 
then  sent  to  Gorbals  Youths'  School  in  Glasgow.  His  dili- 
gence and  ambition  kept  him  at  the  head  of  his  classes  and 
made  his  father  willing  to  enter  him  at  the  Glasgow  High 
School,  where  his  many  prizes  showed  that  he  would  make 
good  use  of  collegiate  privileges ;  hence  we  find  him  matricu- 
lating at  Glasgow  University  in  his  twentieth  year — November, 
1862. 

Describing  these  earlier  days,  he  afterward  wrote:  *'I  was 
very  nervous  and  much  afraid,  and  wrought  so  hard  and  was 
so  ably  superintended  by  my  mother,  that  I  made  rapid  prog- 
ress, and  was  put  from  one  class  to  another  with  delightful 
rapidity.  I  was  dreadfully  jealous  of  any  one  who  was  a  good 
scholar  like  myself,  and  to  have  any  one  above  me  in  class  an- 
noyed me  to  such  a  degree  that  I  could  not  play  cheerfully 
with  him." 

Outside  of  school  he  was  anything  but  a  plodding  student. 
Poking  and  joking  those  in  the  workshop  and  mill ;  devising 
plans  for  mechanically  increasing  his  power  of  stroke  in  swim- 
ming; tramping  alone  among  mountains  and  glens  to  secure 
geological  specimens ;  rowing  and  pluckily  dragging  over  the 
shallows  a  skiff  as  far  up  the  Clyde  as  Hamilton,  where  his 
father  then  resided — a  feat  accomplished  rarely  before ; 
awed  by  the  gruesome  stories  and  pictures  of  Bunyan's  Giant 
Despair  and  Doubting  Castle ;  held  by  the  fascination  and  in- 
dignation awakened  by  ''Uncle  Tom's  Cabin," — these  are 
other  lineaments  of  Gilmour  the  boy. 

2.  University  life. — This  picture,  as  it  has  been  depicted  by 
his  own  pen  and  by  that  of  his  closest  university  friend,  reveals 
these  features  :  An  ambition  that  sought  and  gained  proficiency 
and  prizes  in  Greek,  Latin,  and  English  literature  ;  a  studious- 
ness  which  knew  no  summer  relaxation,  but  sent  him  back  and 
forth  between  his  home  and  the  college  library  laden  with 
books ;  a  sense  of  injustice  which  made  him  participate  in  the 
rebellion  againsf*his  moral  philosophy  professor,  Dr.  Fleming ; 
and,  above  all,  his  conversion,  concerning  wliich  he  writes, 
**  After  I  became  satisfied  that  I  had  found  the  way  of  life,  I 


JA3IES  GILMOUR  49 

decided  to  tell  others  of  that  way,  and  felt  that  I  lay  under  re- 
sponsibility to  do  what  I  could  to  extend  Christ's  Kingdom." 

Rev.  John  Paterson,  his  friend,  thus  testifies  :  ''Throughout 
his  college  career  Gilmour  was  a  very  hard-working  student ; 
his  patience,  perseverance,  and  powers  of  application  were 
marvellous ;  and  yet  as  a  rule,  he  was  bright  and  cheerful,  able 
in  a  twinkling  to  throw  off  the  cares  of  work,  and  enter  with 
zest  into  the  topics  of  the  day.  He  had  a  keen  appreciation  of 
the  humorous  side  of  things,  and  his  merry  laugh  did  one  good. 
Altogether  he  was  a  delightful  companion,  and  was  held  in  uni- 
versal esteem.  One  of  Gilmour's  leading  thoughts  was  un- 
questionably the  unspeakable  value  of  time,  and  this  intensified 
with  years.  There  was  not  a  shred  of  indolence  in  his  nature  3 
it  may  be  truthfully  said  that  he  never  v/illfuUy  lost  an  hour. 
Even  when  college  work  was  uncongenial,  he  never  scamped 
it,  but  mastered  the  subject.  He  could  not  brook  the  idea  of 
skimming  a  subject  merely  to  pass  an  examination,  and  there 
were  few  men  of  his  time  Avith  such  wide  and  accurate  knowl- 
edge." 

This  same  friend  also  bears  witness  to  the  effect  of  his  religious 
life  upon  others  :  "He  always  shrank  from  speaking  about 
himself,  and  in  these  days  was  not  in  the  habit  of  obtruding 
sacred  things  on  his  fellow-students.  His  views  on  personal 
dealing  then  were  changing,  and  became  very  decided  in  after 
years.  Earnest,  honest,  faithful  to  his  convictions,  as  a  student 
he  endeavored  to  influence  others  for  good  more  by  the  silent 
eloquence  of  a  holy  life  than  by  definite  exhortations,  and  I 
feel  sure  his  power  over  some  of  us  was  all  the  greater  on  that 
account." 

3.  The  Life  Decision. — During  the  last  session  of  his  col- 
lege course,  and  the  summer  session,  spent  immediately  there- 
after in  the  Congregational  Tlieological  Hall  at  Edinburgli, 
Gilmour  made  his  choice  of  a  life-work.  Let  him  tell  the 
story. 

"After  prayerful  consideration  and  mature  deliberation,  I 
thought  it  my  duty  to  offer  myself  as  a  candidate  for  the  minis- 
try. Having  decided  as  to  the  capacity  in  which  I  should  labor 
in  Christ's  Kingdom,  the  next  thing  which  occupied  my  serious 
attention  was  the  locality  where  I  should  labor.  Occasionally 
before  I  had  thought  of  the  relative  claims  of  the  home  and 
foreign  fields,  but  during  the  summer  session  in  Edinburgh  I 
thought  the  matter  out,  and  decided  for  the  mission  field ;  even 
on  the  low  grotmd  of  common  sense,  I  seemed  to  be  called  to 
be  a  missionary.     Is  the  Kingdom  a  harvest  field  ?     Then  I 


50        MODERN  APOSTLES  OF  MISSIONARY  BYWAYS 

thought  it  reasonable  that  I  should  seek  to  work  where  the  work 
was  most  abundant  and  the  workers  fewest.  Laborers  say  they 
are  overtaxed  at  home ;  v/hat  then  must  be  the  case  abroad, 
where  there  are  wide-stretching  plains  already  white  to  harvest 
with  scarcely  here  and  there  a  solitary  reaper  ?  To  me  the  soul 
of  an  Indian  seemed  as  precious  as  the  soul  of  an  Englishman, 
and  the  Gospel  as  much  for  the  Chinese  as  for  the  European ; 
and  as  the  band  of  missionaries  was  fev/  compared  with  the 
company  of  home  ministers,  it  seemed  to  me  clearly  to  be  my 
duty  to  go  abroad. 

**But  I  go  out  as  a  missionary,  not  that  I  may  follow  the 
dictates  of  common  sense,  but  that  I  may  obey  that  cGmmatid  of 
Christ,  <  Go  into  all  the  v/orld  and  preach.'  He  who  said 
'preach,' said  also,  'Go  ye  into  and  preach,'  and  *what  Christ 
hath  joined  together  let  not  man  put  asunder.'  This  command 
seems  to  me  to  be  strictly  a  missionary  injunction,  and,  as  far 
as  I  can  see,  those  to  whom  it  was  first  delivered  regarded  it  in 
that  light;  so  that,  apart  altogether  from  choice  and  other 
lower  reasons,  my  going  forth  is  a  matter  of  obedience  to  a 
plain  command ;  and  in  place  of  seeking  to  assign  a  reason  for 
going  abroad,  I  would  prefer  to  say  that  I  have  failed  to  find 
any  reason  why  I  should  stay  at  home." 

Mr.  Paterson  states  that  ''when  it  became  known  that  Gil- 
mour  intended  to  be  a  foreign  missionary,  there  was  not  a  litde 
surprise  expressed,  especially  among  rival  fellow-students — men 
who  had  competed  with  him  to  their  cost.  The  moral  effect  of 
such  a  distinguished  scholar  giving  his  life  for  Christ  among  the 
heathen  was  very  great  indeed." 

4.  Gilmour^s  Theological  Preparation,  iSdy-dg. — With  his 
Master's  degree  won  at  Glasgow,  he  next  entered  for  his  theo- 
logical course  Cheshunt  College,  fourteen  miles  north  of  Lon- 
don, where  he  remained  two  years.  This  v/as  in  consequence 
of  negotiations,  previously  entered  into,  vv^ith  the  London  Mis- 
sionary Society.  Resident  college  life,  so  different  from  that  of 
the  Glasgow  non-dormitory  system.,  was  a  new  experience,  the 
value  of  which  he  doubted. 

Some  of  his  stro?igest  impulses  date  from  this  time,  as  he 
came  under  the  spell  of  those  old  but  powerful  works,  James' 
"Earnest  Ministry,"  Baxter's  "Reformed  Pastor,"  and  some 
of  Bunyan's  writings.  Even  more  helpful  was  the  victory 
which  he  gained  over  his  lust  for  primacy,  after  he  had  won 
the  Soper  prize.  "In  my  first  session  I  had  got  the  second 
only,  and  now  I  had  an  opportunity  of  trying  for  the  first.  It 
was  a  temptation  indeed,  but  God  triumphed.     I  looked  back 


JAMES  GILMOUR  51 

on  my  life  and  saw  how  often  I  had  been  tempted  on  from  one 
thing  to  another,  after  I  had  resolved  that  I  would  leave  my 
time  more  free  and  at  my  disposal  for  God,  but  always  was  I 
tempted  on.  So  nov/  I  made  a  stand,  threw  ambition  to  the 
winds,  and  set  to  reading  my  Bible  in  good  earnest.  I  made  it 
my  chief  study  during  the  last  three  months  of  my  residence  at 
Cheshunt,  and  I  look  back  upon  that  period  of  my  stay  there 
as  the  most  profitable  I  had." 

Fellow-students  at  the  college  recall  his  practical  jokes,  his 
racy,  pointed  speeches  and  his  pov/ers  as  an  elocutionist  and 
debater.  One  senior  who  came  to  welcome  the  newcomer 
was  met  by  the  brusque  questions,  **  Who  are  you?  What  do 
you  want?"  and  when  a  hand  was  offered,  Gilmour  said, 
**  Time  eno'  to  shake  hands  when  we  have  quarrelled.  But 
where  do  you  live?  "  "  Immediately  over  your  head."  ''  Then 
look  here,  don't  make  a  row."  Going  out  in  the  evening, 
mostly  alone,  he  would  conduct  open  air  services  near  the  rail- 
way station.  When  special  m^eetings  were  being  held,  Gilmour 
might  be  seen  approaching  '<  bare-headed  every  passer  by  with 
some  piquant,  vigorous  inquiry,  or  message  or  warning. 
.  .  .  The  entire  population  in  the  thoroughfare  was  stirred, 
and  uncomplimentary  jeers  mingled  with  some  awe-struck  im- 
pressions that  were  there  produced." 

Nor  were  Gilmour's  activities  confined  to  Cheshunt.  His 
heart  was  in  bonny  Scotland,  and  he  would  impress  others 
into  the  fellowship  of  prayer  for  unconverted  friends  at  home 
with  whom  he  was  in  correspondence.  And  further  afield  than 
this  he  went.  *'  When  he  knew  what  was  to  be  his  field  of 
labor  after  his  college  course  was  over,  how  solicitous  he  was 
to  go  out  fully  prepared  and  fitted  in  spiritual  equipment ! 
The  needs  of  the  perishing  heathen  were  very  real  and  weighed 
heavily  upon  his  heart,  and  he  was  very  anxious  to  win  volun- 
teers among  his  college  friends  for  this  all-important  work. 
How  he  longed  and  prayed  for  China's  perishing  millions,  only 
his  most  intimate  friends  know." 

5.  Final  Training  at  Highgate,  i86g-'jo. — In  this  northern 
suburb  of  London  he  entered  in  September,  1869,  a  practical 
finishing  institution,  whither  he  was  sent  by  the  London  Mis- 
sionary Society's  directors.  Admirable  in  theory,  but  sadly 
wanting  in  fact,  Gilmour  thought  it  a  waste  of  time,  and,  owing 
to  the  agitation  in  which  he  had  a  prominent  share,  it  soon 
ceased  to  exist.  Though  the  required  work  of  this  institution 
and  his  study  of  Chinese  under  Professor  Summers  of  London 
seemed  of  little  worth,  these  months  were  momentous  ones  in 


52        3I0DERN  APOSTLES  OF  MISSIONARY  BYWAYS 

Gilmour's  soul  history.  As  he  stood  upon  the  verge,  dreading 
the  imminent  plunge  into  the  chilling  waters  of  heathenism,  he 
writes,  full  of  the  blessedness  of  those  months  of  communion 
with  God :  *' Companions  I  can  scarcely  hope  to  meet,  and 
the  feeling  of  being  alone  comes  over  me  till  I  think  of  Christ 
and  His  blessed  promise,  '  Lo,  I  am  with  you  alway,  even  to 
the  end  of  the  world.'  No  one  who  does  not  go  away,  leaving 
all  and  going  alone,  can  feel  the  force  of  this  promise ;  and 
when  I  begin  to  feel  my  heart  threatening  to  go  down,  I  betake 
myself  to  this  companionship,  and,  thank  God,  I  have  felt  the 
blessedness  of  this  promise  rushing  over  me  repeatedly  when  I 
knelt  down  and  spoke  to  Jesus  as  a  present  companion,  from 
whom  I  am  sure  to  find  sympathy.  ...  I  have  once  or 
twice  lately  felt  a  melting  sweetness  in  the  name  of  Jesus,  as  I 
spoke  to  Him  and  told  Him  my  trouble.  Yes,  and  the  trouble 
went  away,  and  I  arose  all  right."  Having  learned  the  secret 
of  the  abiding  life,  the  young  apostle  to  the  Mongols  had  fin- 
ished his  preparation  and  was  ready  to  exchange  the  blessings 
and  beauties  of  Britain  for  the  dust  and  stenches  of  Peking  and 
the  treeless  and  comparatively  barren  Mongolian  plateau. 

III.  Gilmour's  Missionary  Apprenticeship. — i.  The 
Voyage. — Bidding  his  father  adieu,  he  sailed  from  Liverpool  on 
P'ebruary  22,  1870,  being  then  in  his  twenty-seventh  year.  His 
time  on  board  the  steamship  Diomed  was  largely  spent  in  doing 
personal  work  among  the  men  and  in  preparing  for  public 
services  on  Sunday.  Seeking  out  the  crew  singly  in  the  silent 
night  watches,  or  listening  in  the  prow  to  ghost  stories  by  the 
hour  that  his  testimony  for  Jesus  might  be  accepted,  he  was 
practicing  a  lesson  that  he  must  often  repeat  among  his  chosen 
people. 

2.  At  Peking. — On  May  i8th,  1870,  Gilmour  passed  through 
the  cavernous  portals  of  the  Chinese  capital,  which  was  to  be 
the  headquarters  of  his  future  work,  so  far  away  over  the  Great 
Wall  on  the  Mongolian  highlands.  He  had  arrived  at  the 
critical  time  when  an  anti-foreign  storm  was  on  the  eve  of 
breaking  in  the  sanguinary  massacre  of  foreigners  at  Tientsin, 
eighty-three  miles  away.  His  diary  naturally  reveals  to  us  a 
man  who  expects  death.  But  his  prayer  was  answered,  '*  Keep 
me,  O  God,  in  perfect  peace.  O  God,  let  me  cast  all  my  care 
upon  Thee,  and  commit  my  soul  to  Thy  safe  keeping."  Prayer, 
moreover,  might  avail  for  multitudes.  "  While  others  are  writ- 
ing to  the  papers  and  trying  to  stir  up  the  feelings  of  the  peo- 
ple, so  that  they  may  take  action  in  the  matter,  perhaps  I  may 
do  some  good  moving  heaven.     My  creed  leads  me  to  think 


JAMES  GIL3I0UR  53 

that  prayer  is  efficacious,  and  surely  a  day's  asking  God  to 
overrule  all  these  events  for  good  is  not  lost."  Verily  a  vigor- 
ous apprenticeship  this  to  the  king  of  Terrors,  but  Gilmour 
came  off  more  than  conqueror,  even  though  some  twenty  for- 
eigners yielded  up  their  lives  to  mob  violence,  and  eight  Prot- 
estant chapels  were  destroyed. 

3.  On  to  Mofigolia. — In  the  midst  of  the  fears  of  that  time 
and  with  but  the  most  meagre  start  in  Chinese,  our  young  mis- 
sionary, less  than  three  months  after  his  arrival,  turns  his  back 
upon  powerful  legations  and  many  disapproving  missionaries, 
and  speeds  over  the  plain,  up  through  the  famous  Nan  K<ou  or 
South  Pass,  toward  the  frontier  city  of  Kalgan,  where  he  arrived 
after  a  four  days'  journey.  While  he  is  spending  eighteen  days 
with  the  American  missionaries  there,  making  final  preparations 
for  his  first  Mongolian  journey,  and  looking  wistfully  northward 
through  the  pass,  made  famous  by  traditions  of  the  great 
Genghis  Khan  and  his  even  more  illustrious  grandson,  Kublai, 
we  may  turn  aside  to  consider  Gilmour's  future  field  and  the 
missionary  work  that  had  already  been  done  for  its  inhabitants. 

IV.  The  Mongolian  Field. — Standing  as  a  buffer  state 
between  Siberia  and  China  proper,  with  an  area  more  than 
one-third  as  large  as  the  United  States,  are  the  highland  pas- 
tures and  deserts  of  Mongolia. 

1.  Its  Place  in  History. — This  plateau,  girdled  on  every 
side  with  mountain  chains,  has  been  the  cradle  of  chieftains  and 
tribes  that  at  one  time  threatened  to  occupy  all  Asia  and  engulf 
Europe  with  their  bloodthirsty  hordes.  Indeed,  under  Kublai 
Khan  and  his  predecessors,  warriors  had  *' sharpened  their  bat- 
tle-axes, and,  sparing  neither  man,  woman,  nor  child,  they  ex- 
terminated the  unhappy  people,"  in  accordance  with  their  old 
proverb,  ''Stone-dead  hath  no  fellow."  Kublai's  sway,  dur- 
ing the  latter  half  of  the  thirteenth  century,  actually  extended 
'*  from  the  Arctic  Ocean  to  the  Strait  of  Malacca,  and  from 
Korea  to  Asia  Minor  and  the  confines  of  Hungary — an  extent 
of  territory,  the  like  of  which  had  never  before,  and  has  never 
L^ince,  been  governed  by  any  one  monarch  in  Asia." 

2.  Land  of  the  IVojJiad  Mongols. — Of  those  people  to  whom 
Gilrnour  ministered,  there  are  two  somewhat  diflering  types. 
His  work  at  first  was  among  the  pastoral  nomads  roaming  north 
of  Kalgan,  toward  Lake  Baikal.  As  one  climbs  the  pass  be- 
yond that  city  amid  caravans  of  tea-laden  camels,  or  queer  ox- 
drawn  soda  carts,  and  emerges  upon  the  plateau,  the  difference 
between  the  scene  and  those  characteristic  of  the  vast  and  pop- 
ulous plain  behind  is  most  striking.     One  walks  on  real  grass 


54        MODERN  APOSTLES  OF  MISSIONARY  BYWAYS 

and  looks  out  upon  rolling  prairies  blue  with  millions  of  forget- 
me-nots,  while  the  air  is  vocal  with  countless  skylarks  that  have 
leaped  from  their  grassy  coverts  so  far  up  toward  heaven  that 
they  are  lost  to  sight,  though  not  to  the  ravished  ear.  Scat- 
tered here  and  there  over  the  upland  prairie,  are  clusters  of  cir- 
cular felt  tents  surrounded  with  the  inevitable  stacks  of  argol — 
dried  dung  used  as  fuel — and  swarms  of  children  and  fierce 
Mongol  wolf-dogs.  Prayer-flags  fluttering  over  the  encamp- 
ment, horsemen  watching  the  widely  scattered  flocks  and  herds, 
lazy  lamas  on  pilgrimage,  possibly  a  group  of  mounted  soldiers 
of  mediaeval  appearance  pricking  over  the  plain,  and  above  all 
a  sky  of  fleckless  blue,  are  the  common  sights  of  an  August 
day,  like  that  which  ushered  Gilmour  into  his  new  field. 

3.  The  Agricultural  Mongols. — Much  of  his  missionary  life 
was  spent  among  the  agricultural  tribes  in  southeastern  Mon- 
golia. The  Chinese  have  so  greatly  encroached  upon  their 
territory  here,  that  the  Mongols  have  setded  down  in  towns  and 
villages,  devoting  themselves  mainly  to  agriculture,  and  speak 
Chinese,  as  well  as  their  own  native  tongue.  His  surroundings 
in  these  towns  were  so  similar  to  those  well  known  in  China, 
that  description  is  needless.  His  home  in  straggling  inn  quad- 
rangles, a  life  spent  mainly  on  the  streets  among  the  gaping 
crowds  of  Chinese  fairs,  and  the  sometimes  vain  attempts  to  be 
alone  in  the  uninviting  country  outside,  are  the  common  lot  of 
hundreds  of  other  missionaries  also,  and  our  present  aim  is  to 
enlarge  only  upon  those  elements  which  are  peculiar  to  the  life 
of  our  hero. 

V.  Gilmour's  Parishioners. — One  would  hardly  imagine 
that  the  apparently  peaceable  and  unenterprising  men,  some 
2,000,000  in  all,  who  to-day  inhabit  Mongolia,  were  of  the 
same  stock  as  those  hardy  warriors  who  penetrated  to  the  very 
heart  of  Europe  a  few  centuries  ago,  and  whose  national  name, 
Mongol,  signifies  Brave.  The  differences  between  the  work 
and  appearance  of  the  two  sexes  are  less  than  those  between  the 
lamas  and  blackmen,  as  the  lay  members  of  the  community  are 
called ;  hence  these  two  divisions  of  Mongolian  society  alone 
need  description. 

I.  The  lamas  are  priests  of  Lamaism,  the  Mongolian  form 
of  Buddhism,  so  closely  related  to  that  of  Tibet.  They  consti- 
tute more  than  half  of  the  male  population,  and  while  they  can 
read  or  rather  pronounce  the  Tibetan  words  of  their  sacred 
books,  less  than  five  per  cent,  of  them  can  read  a  word  of  their 
own  language.  Their  red  coats  and  shaven  pates  are  omniprec- 
ent,  and  as  they  are  prevented  by  their  vows  from  formal  mar- 


JAMES  GILMOUR  55 

riage,  they  everywhere  find  victims  for  their  lust.  Gilmour 
truly  says  that  **  the  great  sinners  in  Mongolia  are  the  lamas;  the 
great  centres  of  v/ickedness  are  the  temples. ' '  Their  oppression 
of  the  laymen  is  well-nigh  unbearable.  Is  a  person  sick  ?  The 
lama  is  the  physician  and  the  sick  man  nuij-:t  endure  heroic 
treatment,  as  well  as  pay  for  days  of  prayer,  since  **  work  with- 
out prayer  is  of  no  avail."  Does  the  patient  finally  succumb 
under  such  conditions?  "So  much  the  worse  for  him  and  so 
much  the  better  for  the  lamas.  .  .  .  Prayers  must  be  said, 
and  services  held  for  the  benefit  of  the  departed  soul.  More 
gifts  must  be  made,  more  money  must  be  spent.  When  sick- 
ness and  death  enter  a  Mongol's  tent,  they  come  not  alone ; 
they  often  come  with  poverty  and  ruin  in  their  train." 

2.  The  blachnenj  or  laity,  are  naturally  afi'ected  by  such 
priestly  corruption.  Gilmour  thus  testifies  :  "  The  influence  of 
the  wickedness  of  the  lamas  is  most  hurtful.  It  is  well  known. 
The  lamas  sin,  not  only  among  themselves,  but  sow  their  evil 
among  the  people.  The  people  look  upon  the  lamas  as  sacred, 
and  of  course  think  they  may  do  what  the  lamas  do.  Thus  the 
corrupting  influence  spreads,  and  the  state  of  Mongolia  to-day, 
as  regards  uprightness  and  morality,  is  such  as  makes  the  heart 
more  sick  the  more  one  knows  of  it." 

Despite  the  dark  picture  thus  drawn,  Gilmom'  found  among 
these  people  an  apparent  religiousness  that  is  the  antipodes  of 
the  religious  apathy  of  their  Chinese  neighbors.  He  writes : 
<*  One  of  the  first  things  the  missionary  notices  in  coming  in 
contact  with  the  Mongols,  is  the  completeness  of  the  sway  exer- 
cised over  them  by  their  religion.  Meet  a  ISIongol  on  the  road, 
and  the  probability  is  that  he  is  saying  his  prayers  and  count- 
ing his  beads  as  he  rides  along.  Ask  him  where  he  is  going  and 
on  what  errand,  as  the  custom  is,  and  likely  he  will  tell  you  he 
is  going  to  some  shrine  to  worship.  Follow  him  to  the  temple, 
and  there  you  will  find  him  one  of  a  company  with  dust- 
marked  foreheads,  moving  lips  and  the  never  absent  beads, 
going  the  rounds  of  the  sacred  place,  prostrating  himself  at 
every  shrine,  bowing  before  every  idol  and  striking  pious  atti- 
tudes at  every  new  object  of  reverence  that  meets  his  eye.  Go 
to  the  quarters  where  Mongols  congregate  in  towns,  and  you 
will  find  that  quite  a  number  of  the  shops  and  a  large  part  of 
the  trade  there  are  dependent  upon  images,  pictures  and  otlier 
articles  used  in  worship.     .     .     . 

"  Approach  tents,  and  the  prominent  object  is  a  flag-staff 
with  prayer-flags  fluttering  at  the  top.  Enter  a  tenf,  and  there 
right  opposite  you  as  you  put  your  head  in  at  the  door,  is  the 


56        MODERN  APOSTLES  OF  MISSIONARY  BYWAYS 

family  altar  with  its  gods,  its  hangings,  its  offerings  and  its 
brass  cups.  Let  them  make  tea  for  you,  and  before  you  are 
asked  to  drink  it  a  portion  is  thrown  out  by  a  hole  in  the  roof 
of  the  tent  by  way  of  offering.  Have  them  make  dinner  for 
you,  and  you  will  see  a  portion  of  it  offered  to  the  god  of  the 
fire,  and  after  that  perhaps  you  may  be  asked  to  eat.  Wait  till 
evening,  and  then  you  will  see  the  little  butter  lamp  lighted 
and  set  upon  the  altar  as  a  pure  offering.  When  bedtime 
c  omes,  you  will  notice  as  they  disrobe  that  each  and  all  wear 
at  their  breast  charms  sewn  up  in  cloth,  or  pictures  of  gods  in 
metal  cases  with  glass  fronts.  In  the  act  of  disrobing,  prayers 
are  said  most  industriously,  and  not  till  all  are  stretched  on 
their  felts  does  the  sound  of  devotion  cease.  Among  the  first 
things  in  the  morning,  you  will  hear  them  at  their  prayers 
again,  and  when  your  host  comes  out  with  you  to  set  you  on 
your  way,  he  will  most  likely  give  you  as  your  landmark  some 
cairn,  sacred  for  the  threefold  reason  that  its  every  stone  was 
gathered  and  laid  v/ith  prayer,  that  prayer-flags  flutter  over  the 
sacred  pile,  and  that  it  is  the  supposed  residence  of  the  deity 
that  presides  over  the  neighborhood." 

Besides  this  supreme  characteristic  of  religiosity,  the  laymen 
are  less  illiterate  than  the  lamas,  are  hospitable,  addicted  to 
cattle-stealing  and  strong  drink,  good-hearted,  lacking  in  fore- 
sight, and  abounding  in  laziness  and  dirt.  Their  characteristics 
have  been  dwelt  upon  at  length  that  the  reader  might  realize 
the  Herculean  task  to  which  James  Gilmour  single-handed  ad- 
dressed himself,  and  that  the  fact  that  he  never  baptized  even 
one  of  the  nomad  Mongols  might  be  better  understood. 

VI.  Other  Men's  Foundations. — Protestantism  had  al- 
ready made  a  beginning  in  Mongolia,  though  the  work  had 
been  so  long  interrupted  that  few  survivals  of  it  remained. 

I.  The  Pioneers. — Gilmour's  first  tour  was  in  order  to  even- 
tually visit  in  the  remote  north  the  stations  of  Selinginsk  and 
Onagen  Dom.e,  where  Messrs.  Stallybrass  and  Swan,  with  two 
or  three  coadjutors  and  their  wives,  had  wrought,  until  death 
or  exile  caused  their  labors  to  cease.  This  was  between  the 
years  1818  and  1841 — at  which  latter  date  ^' the  Emperor 
Nicholas  broke  up  the  mission,  and  the  missionaries  retired 
from  the  field."  This  is  the  brief  record  of  the  London  Mis- 
sionary Society;  yet  in  this  region,  bleak  and  desolate,  abound- 
ing in  gloomy  forests,  they  had  left,  besides  the  graves  of  some 
of  their  number,  a  Mongol  translation  of  the  Bible,  twenty 
living  epistles  v/ho  proved  v/orthy  of  their  confession,  though 
required  to  enter  the  Greek   Church,  and  they  had  so  stirred 


J  ABIES  GILMOUR  57 

that  ancient  organization  that  it  began  mission  work  among  the 
Buriat  Mongols. 

2.  Those  laborious  cultivators  of  barren  fields,  the  Mora- 
vians, made  repeated  attempts  between  1768  and  1823  to 
Christianize  the  Kalmuck  Mongols,  far  to  the  westward  of 
Gilmour's  field ;  and  again  in  1855  they  essayed  to  enter 
Chinese  Mongolia,  but  were  prevented  by  the  extreme  jealousy 
of  the  government.  Apart  from  gaining  a  very  few  converts, 
vv^ho  endured  much  for  Christ's  sake,  nothing  of  permanent 
value  marked  their  work. 

3.  Something  had  been  done  by  missionaries  of  the  American 
Board,  stationed  at  Kalgan  on  the  Great  Wall.  Rev.  John  T. 
Gulick,  who  welcomed  Gilmour  to  his  home,  and  whose  mas- 
tery of  the  theory  of  evolution  and  strong  Christian  faith  first 
captivated  and  later  led  to  the  conversion  of  the  famous  natu- 
ralist and  Darwinian,  G.  J.  Romanes,  had  done  some  touring 
among  the  nomads  in  that  vicinity. 

4.  Save  for  a  few  carefully  preserved  copies  of  the  Scrip- 
tures, found  here  and  there  by  Gilmour,  there  was  practically 
nothing  for  him  to  build  upon  beyond  a"  few  helpful  elements  in 
Buddhism,  which  were  stepping-stones  to  higher  things.  These 
he  states  to  be  the  doctrine  of  the  immortality  of  the  soul ; 
Buddhism's  list  of  ten  black  sins,  punishable  in  a  horrible  pur- 
gatory, and  five  far  worse  sins  to  be  followed  by  a  hell  of  in- 
tense and  unending  suffering ;  its  doctrine  of  rewards  and  of 
heaven  that  accounts  so  largely  for  its  votaries'  religiosity ;  its 
teachings  as  to  humanity,  so  pronounced  that  ''perhaps  no- 
where will  you  find  less  cruelty  than  in  Mongolia ; ' '  belief  in 
the  all-prevailing  power  of  prayer ;  doctrines  and  speculations 
whose  depth  and  magnitude  surpass  the  grasp  of  the  greatest 
minds,  and  yet  satisfy  the  most  stupid  woman  with  the  six 
syllables,  Oni  mani  padme  hiim — Ah,  the  jewel  is  in  the  lotus, 
/.  e.,  self-creative  force  is  in  the  Kosmos — the  sum  and  sub- 
stance of  them  all ;  and  analogous  Buddhist  teachings  that 
v^elcomed  the  account  of  the  flood,  the  stories  of  Abraham, 
Joseph  and  David  who  are  hailed  ''almost  as  heroes  of  their 
own  religion,"  and  the  parables  of  the  Prodigal  Son  and  the 
Good  Samaritan. 

Over  against  such  favoring  features,  he  felt  it  necessary  to 
place  these  greater  evils  of  Buddhism:  Its  swarms  of  lazy,  de- 
pendent lamas;  its  arrogant  self-sufficiency;  its  discourage- 
ment of  useful  learning  by  the  emphasis  of  the  study  of  Tib- 
etan, a  dead  tongue  to  Mongols ;  the  oppression  of  the  lamas, 
already  mentioned  ;  the  absence  of  intelligent  worship  in  Mon- 


58        MODERN  APOSTLES  OF  MISSIONARY  BYWAYS 

golian  Buddhism,  and  the  presence  in  it  cf  debasing  features ; 
the  tendency  of  its  good  works  to  produce  harm  rather  than 
good ;  Lamaism's  teachings  that  make  men  sin  in  actions 
which  are  really  indifferent,  thus  tending  to  sear  their  con- 
sciences ;  its  failure  to  produce  holiness ;  and  its  usurping  the 
place  that  belongs  to  God  alone. 

As  a  result  of  his  balancing  its  good  and  evil,  Gilmcur  writes : 
"  Let  us  pray  for  the  speedy  destruction  of  this  religion,  which 
haughtily  robs  God,  and  remorselessly  pollutes  and  crushes 
man." 

VII.  First  Lessons  in  Mongolia. — i.  The  Language. — 
Armed  with  a  road-map  containing  some  supposedly  useful 
traveller's  phrases  on  the  margin,  but  which  from  faulty  pro- 
nunciation were  not  readily  understood  by  the  people,  and  also 
with  a  sentence  given  him  by  a  Kalgan  teacher,  understood  to 
mean,  *'  1  don't  speak  Mongolian  ;  I  am  learning  it,"  but  which 
actually  meant,  "I  know  and  speak  Mongolian,"  Gilmour  en- 
tered his  chosen  field.  Going  soon  to  the  Siberian  border,  he 
lived  in  a  Russian  house  and  sought  to  gain  the  language  by 
the  aid  of  a  teacher  and  by  going  about  among  the  people,  note- 
book in  hand.  This  latter  method  created  so  much  suspicion 
that  it  was  a  broken  reed  for  public  use.  After  wasting  much 
time  in  this  way  and  in  reading  the  Mongol  Bible,  the  taunt  of 
a  Scotch  merchant  as  to  his  slowness  drove  him  forth  to  live 
with  a  lama  teacher  in  a  Mongol  tent.  Of  this  experience, 
Gilmour  wrote : 

"  He  was  only  temporarily  located  there,  and  had  no  dog,  so 
I  could  go  out  and  in  as  I  liked.  He  was  rich,  so  could  afford 
to  keep  a  good  fire  burning,  a  luxury  which  could  not  have 
been  enjoyed  in  the  tent  of  a  poor  man.  His  business  required 
him  to  keep  two  or  three  menservants  about  him ;  and  as  a 
man  of  his  position  could  not  but  have  good  tea  always  on 
hand — a  great  attraction  in  the  desert — the  tent  was  seldom 
v/ithout  conversation  going  on  in  it  between  two  or  three  Mon- 
gols. This  last — conversation  carried  on  by  Mongols,  just  as 
if  no  one  had  been  listening — was  exactly  what  I  wanted,  and 
I  used  to  sit,  pencil  and  notebook  in  hand,  and  take  down 
such  phrases  as  I  could  catch.  Exclamations  and  salutations 
made  by  and  to  persons  entering  and  leaving  the  tent ;  remarks 
made  about  and  to  neighbors  and  visitors ;  directions  given  to 
servants  about  herding,  cooking  and  mending  the  fire,  were 
caught  in  their  native  freshness  and  transferred  to  my  note- 
book. In  the  quiet  intervals  of  the  day  or  evening,  I  would 
con  over  again  and  again  what  I  had  caught. 


JAMES  GILMGUR  59 

**  Learning  the  language  in  this  way,  I  soon  could  speak  a 
good  deal  more  than  I  could  understand,  or  my  teacher  explain 
to  me.  Though  I  could  not  parse  the  phrases,  nor  even  sepa- 
rate out  the  words  of  which  they  were  composed,  much  less 
understand  the  meaning  of  what  I  said,  I  knew  when  and  how 
to  use  them,  and  could  hardly  help  having  the  accent  correct, 
and  could  not  avoid  learning  first  those  words  and  phrases 
which  were  in  most  common  use.  Thus,  with  only  a  fraction 
of  the  labor  I  had  spent  over  books,  I  soon  began  to  feel  that  I 
was  making  progress. 

*'  A  slight  drawback  to  learning  a  language  by  repeating 
everything  that  any  one  happens  to  say,  is  that  some  of  the 
phrases  so  picked  up  are  not  very  choice.  As  the  language 
begins  to  be  understood,  any  impropriety  in  a  phrase  soon  be- 
comes apparent  and  can  be  avoided." 

2.  Learning  the  Ways  of  the  People. — One  of  Gilmour's 
early  lessons  was  that  of  learning  to  ride,  Mongol  fashion,  both 
horses  and  camels.  This  he  became  expert  in  during  a  journey 
of  600  miles  across  the  desert  of  Gobi.  He  learned,  too,  how 
to  endure  the  long-continued,  fierce,  burning  thirst  of  the  des- 
ert ;  how  to  make  sufficiently  definite  bargains ;  the  unwisdom 
of  being  too  obliging  to  menials ;  the  proper  way  in  which  to 
camp  out  on  the  wilds ;  the  valuable  accomplishment  of  secur- 
ing and  enduring  Mongol  hospitality ;  and  a  subterfuge  that  a 
missionary  without  a  revolver  may  use  when  questioned  on  the 
subject  by  suspicious  characters — ''Supposing  I  have,  what 
then  ?  supposing  I  have  not,  what  then  ?  " 

3.  Until  the  missionary  enters  into  the  habits  of  thought  of 
his  people,  he  cannot  be  very  useful.  But  during  his  first  year 
Gilmour  had  made  great  strides  in  that  direction,  as  witness 
this  diary  entry:  "I  gave  the  lama  a  book  on  Saturday,  and 
when  I  came  back  on  Tuesday,  I  found  he  had  read  it  through 
twice.  He  set  upon  me  with  questions,  getting  me  to  admit 
premises  and  then  reasoned  from  them.  Christ  being  at  the 
right  hand  of  God  was  a  great  point  with  him.  If  God  has  no 
form,  how  can  any  one  be  at  His  right  hand  ?  Then,  again,  if 
God  is  everywhere,  Christ  is  everywhere  right  and  left  of  God, 
and  how  can  that  be?  The  omnipresence  was  a  staggerer. 
Was  God  in  that  pot,  in  the  tent,  in  his  boot  ?  Did  he  tread 
upon  God  ?  Then  was  God  inside  the  kettle  ?  Did  the  hot 
tea  not  scald  Him?  Again,  if  God  was  inside  the  ketde,  theketde 
was  living  !  And  so  he  held  it  up  to  the  laughing  circle  as  a 
new  species  of  animal.  I  asked  him  if  a  fly  were  inside  the 
kettle,  would  the  kettle  be  alive?     '  No,'  he  said  ;   'but  a  fly 


60        MODERN  APOSTLES  OF  MISSIONARY  BYWAYS 

does  not  fill  the  space  as  God  must  do.'  *  Well,  then,'  said  I, 
*  is  my  coat  alive  because  I  fill  it  ?  *  This  settled  the  question." 
Contrast  this  treatment  of  a  difficulty  with  his  probable  way  of 
meeting  it  while  at  Cheshunt  College  !  He  had  learned  to 
think  as  a  Mongol  that  he  might  convince  a  Mongol. 

4.  Gilmour  also  learned  personal  lessons  which  were  equally 
valuable,  one  of  these  being  the  danger  of  living  alone  during 
t(re  first  months.  Early  in  this  year,  while  at  Kiachta  and 
surrounded  by  almost  overwhelming  difficulties,  he  wrote: 
"  To-day  I  felt  a  good  deal  like  Elijah  in  the  wilderness,  when 
the  reaction  came  on  after  his  slaughter  of  the  priests  of  Baal ; 
he  prayed  that  he  might  die.  I  wonder  if  I  am  telling  the 
truth  when  I  say  that  I  felt  drawn  toward  suicide.  I  take  this 
opportunity  of  declaring  strongly  that  on  all  occasions  two  mis- 
sionaries should  go  together.  I  was  not  of  this  opinion  a  few 
weeks  ago,  but  I  had  no  idea  how  weak  an  individual  I  am. 
My  eyes  have  filled  with  tears  frequently  these  last  few  days  in 
spite  of  myself,  and  I  do  not  wonder  in  the  least  that  Grant's 
[his  Scotch  trader  host]  brother  shot  himself.  Oh  !  the  intense 
loneliness  of  Christ's  life  ;  not  a  single  one  understood  Him  ! 
He  bore  it.  O  Jesus,  let  me  follow  in  Thy  steps  and  have  in 
me  the  same  spirit  that  Thou  hadst  !  "  This  conviction  as  to 
the  desirability  of  sending  missionaries  out  with  at  least  one 
companion  is  often  reiterated  in  later  years. 

A  very  precious  lesson  learned  during  this  apprentice  year 
was  the  practical  value  of  prayer  as  a  metJiod  of  work.  He 
recounts  that,  as  the  fruitage  of  prayer  during  that  period,  five 
most  critical  difficulties  were  overcome. 

5.  According  to  Gilmour' s  own  testimony,  of  all  the  lessons 
to  be  learned,  "  waiting  has  been  that  which  proved  most 
difficult.  When  performing  hard  journeys,  when  baffled  in 
attempts  at  mastering  the  language,  when  poorly  lodged  and 
badly  fed  on  native  fare,  when  treated  with  suspicion  and  even 
when  openly  opposed,  there  is  comfort  and  stimulus  in  knowing 
that  perseverance  will  end  the  journey  and  conquer  the  lan- 
guage, that  endurance  will  make  up  for  deficiencies  in  board 
and  lodging,  and  that  openness  and  efi'ort  will  overcome  un- 
friendliness and  hostility.  But  to  have  to  sit  down  and  simply 
wait  the  coming  of  a  day  or  a  man  whose  advent  no  effort  can 
hasten,  this  to  me  has  always  proved  the  hardest  task  that 
could  be  set,  and  it  is  one  that  has  often  fallen  to  my  lot  in 
Mongolia." 

VIII.  The  Itinerant  Evangelist. — While  a  greater  part 
of  Gilmour' s  winters  were  passed  at  his  Peking  headquarters. 


JAMES  GILMOUR  61 

where  he  spent  a  large  part  of  the  time  in  working  among  the 
1,500  Mongols  attracted  to  the  capital  by  necessities  of  business 
and  devotion,  his  main  work,  especially  until  he  turned  his 
attention  to  the  agricultural  Mongols,  was  that  of  itinerant. 

I.  Getting  about  wz-s  no  small  problem.  At  times  he  tries 
the  slow,  but  comparatively  luxurious,  camel-cart  or  the  more 
plebeian  ox-cart ;  again  we  see  him  making  his  journeys  astride 
horse  or  camel ;  and  for  a  short  time  he  itinerates  on  foot  with 
all  his  belongings  on  his  back.  How  serious  this  latter  method 
of  travel  was  may  be  judged  from  diary  entries,  '<  Terrible 
feet,"  and  from  the  fact  that  coming  to  the  writer,  he  said  : 
*'  I  wish  you  would  take  my  large  print  Bible  that  I  have  used 
for  years,  and  remove  the  text,  leaving  me  the  helps.  My 
small  print  Revised  Version  is  better,  and  when  a  man  carries 
his  possessions  on  his  shoulders,  every  ounce  counts." 

Of  all  these  methods  he  most  coynmends  the  horse.  **  Horse- 
back travelling  does  away  with  the  tedium  as  far  as  possible. 
.  .  .  Night  and  day  you  hurry  on  ;  sunrise  and  sunset  have 
their  glories  much  like  those  seen  at  sea ;  the  stars  and  moon 
have  a  charm  on  the  lovely  plain.  Ever  and  anon  you  come 
upon  tents,  indicated  at  night  by  the  barking  of  dogs, — in  the 
daytime  seen  gleaming  from  afar,  vague  and  indistinct  through 
the  glowing  mirage.  As  you  sweep  round  the  base  of  a  hill, 
you  come  upon  a  herd  of  startled  deer  and  give  chase,  to  show 
their  powers  of  running ;  then  a  temple  with  its  red  walls  and 
ornamented  roof  looms  up  and  glides  past.  Hillsides  here  and 
there  are  patched  with  sheep ;  in  the  plains  below  mounted 
Mongols  are  dashing  right  and  left  through  a  large  drove  of 
horses,  pursuing  those  they  wish  to  catch,  with  a  noosed  pole 
that  looks  like  a  fishing-rod.  On  some  lovely  stretch  of  road 
you  come  upon  an  encampment  of  two  or  three  hundred  ox- 
carts, the  oxen  grazing  and  the  drivers  mending  the  wooden 
wheels,  or  meet  a  long  train  of  tea-laden,  silent  camels.  When 
the  time  for  a  meal  approaches  and  a  tent  heaves  in  sight,  you 
leave  the  road  and  make  for  it.  However  tired  the  horses  may 
be,  they  will  freshen  up  at  this.  They  know  what  is  coming 
and  hurry  on  to  rest." 

2.  A  Mongol  Interior. — Gilmour  tried  the  experiment  of 
carrying  his  own  tent,  and  of  improving  on  the  native  style. 
This  he  did  by  adding  a  fringe  at  the  bottom  and  a  cloth  door, 
by  using  three  tent-poles  and  by  putting  on  a  double  roof  to 
diminish  the  excessive  heat  of  summer.  This  tent  he  soon 
gave  up ;  as  the  people  *'  seemed  to  think  that  any  one  who 
took  trouble  to  make  a  travelling  tent  comfortable,  must  be 


62        MODERN  APOSTLES  OF  3fISSI0NABY  BYWAYS 

very  careful  of  himself.  .  .  .  One  would  almost  rather 
broil  in  the  sun  and  shiver  in  the  wind,  than  be  considered 
effeminate  by  a  Mongol." 

Accordingly  he  lived  usually  with  the  people  in  their  tenfs, 
since  there  are  very  few  inns  among  the  nomadic  tribes.  We 
see  him  approaching  an  encampment  from  the  front,  halting  at 
a  short  distance  and  shouting  nohoi  (dog),  thus  bringing  to  his 
relief  women  and  children,  who  hold  back  the  fierce  beasts  or 
sit  on  the  more  refractory  ones.  Having  left  his  dog  sticks  or 
whip  outside  the  low  door,  he  says  mendu  to  the  people  within 
and  takes  a  position  on  the  left  of  the  fireplace  in  the  centre, 
half-way  between  the  door  and  back  of  the  tent.  He  sits  cross- 
legged,  interchanges  snuff-bottles  with  the  host,  meanwhile 
making  and  answering  inquiries  about  his  host's  and  his  own 
health.  During  these  formalities,  the  women  have  been  warm- 
ing tea  which  he  receives  with  both  hands,  as  he  does  later  the 
plate  of  white  food,  a  mere  crumb  of  which  is  to  be  eaten. 

Mongol  fare  of  the  better  sort  consisted  in  the  morning  and 
at  noonday  of  meal-tea  made  of  meal  fried  in  cracklings  with 
tea  poured  over  it,  and  at  sunset  of  beef,  mutton,  or  tripe 
boiled  and  then  fished  out  with  fire-tongs  and  put  in  a  basin 
or  on  a  board,  to  be  eaten  by  taking  it  between  the  teeth,  and 
cutting  off  each  mouthful  close  to  the  lips.  Millet  boiled  in 
soup  was  the  second  and  very  palatable  course. 

Ordinarily  Mongols  retire  in  winter  immediately  after  this 
evening  meal,  the  host,  if  wealthy,  having  his  servant  snugly 
tuck  him  in,  "indicating  in  Mongol  fashion,  by  the  points  of 
the  compass,  the  places  where  the  tucking  in  was  deficient." 
Gilmour  adds:  *' After  the  master  had  been  properly  tucked 
and  I  had  drawn  on  sheepskin  boots,  buttoned  up  my  great- 
coat to  the  chin,  tied  down  the  ear-flaps  of  my  fur  cap,  and 
been  covered  up  with  a  couple  of  Scotch  plaids,  the  last  act  of 
the  day  was  performed.  The  tent  was  closed  above,  the  door 
v/as  made  fast  and  a  large  jar  filled  with  charcoal  was  produced, 
and  .  .  .  the  whole  contents  were  piled  in  one  heap  on 
the  fire.  In  a  few  minutes  there  was  a  splendid  glow,  and  for 
the  only  time  perhaps  in  the  twenty-four  hours,  the  atmosphere 
of  the  tent  was  really  hot.  Every  one  used  to  lie  and  look  at 
it  with  a  glow  of  satisfaction  and  gradually  drop  off  to  sleep." 

3.  But  Gilmour  was  there  for  the  purpose  of  witnessing  for 
Jesus.  Usually  after  halting  and  dissipating  the  native  reserve 
by  tea-drinking,  he  produced  and  exhibited  a  case  of  Scripture 
pictures,  the  main  doctrines  of  Christianity  being  stated  in  con- 
nection with  them ;   thus  even  stupid  ones  Avere  enabled  to 


JA3IKS  GIL3I0UB  63 

apprehend  clearly  the  teaching,  and  to  remember  it  as  well. 
After  the  pictures,  came  the  books — illustrated  tracts,  a  cate- 
chism, and  a  Gospel  of  St.  Matthew.  The  Gospel  always 
proved  the  most  difficult  to  understand.  "The  difficulty 
seems  to  arise  from  the  want  of  acquaintance,  on  the  part  of  the 
reader,  with  Gospel  truths  and  doctrines,  from  a  slight  indefi- 
niteness  inherent  in  Mongol  writing,  and  perhaps  mainly  from 
proper  names.  Old  Testament  references  and  Jewish  customs 
occurring  or  referred  to  in  this  Gospel."  Hence  Gilmour 
writes :  **  One  is  forced,  rather  unwillingly  it  must  be  con- 
fessed, to  the  opinion,  that  in  propagating  Christianity  among 
the  heathen,  tracts  and  other  books  of  elementary  Christian 
teaching  are,  in  the  initial  stages  at  least,  a  necessary  intro- 
duction to  the  Bible  itself.  Of  course,  after  a  man  has  been 
taught  somewhat  of  the  doctrines  and  facts  of  Christianity, 
the  most  useful  book  that  can  be  put  into  his  hands  is  the 
Bible." 

When  a  Mongol  understands  that  Christianity  makes  per- 
sonal claims  upon  him  and  means  the  rejection  of  Buddhism, 
he  is  staggered  dX  the  smallness  of  our  Bible,  as  compared  with 
the  enormous  size  of  the  Buddhist  collection,  which  requires  a 
string  of  camels  to  carry.  His  own  Canon  contains  good 
doctrines  also,  and  as  for  miracles,  he  can  quote  many  from  his 
ovvn  Scriptures.  An  inquirer,  moreover,  must  face  the  bigoted 
enthusiasm  of  his  countrymen  and  even  Gilmour's  ''conviction 
that  any  one  Mongol  coming  out  of  Buddhism  and  entering 
Christianity  would  lead  a  very  precarious  existence  on  the 
plain,  if  in  fact  he  could  exist  there  at  all." 

Here  are  so?ne  questions  asked  Gilmour  by  the  Mongol, 
Toobshing,  one  Sunday  afternoon :  Is  hell  eternal  ?  Are  all 
the  heathen  v/ho  have  not  heard  the  Gospel  damned?  If  a 
man  lives  v/ithout  sin,  is  he  damned?  If  a  man  disregards 
Christ,  but  worships  a  supreme  God  in  an  indefinite  way,  is  he 
saved  or  not  ?  Hov/  can  Christ  save  a  man  ?  If  a  man  prays 
to  Christ  to  save  him  morn  and  even,  but  goes  on  sinning 
meantime,  how  about  him  ?  If  a  man  prays  for  a  thing,  does 
he  get  it  ?  Do  your  unbelieving  countrymen  in  England  all  go 
to  hell  ?  Are  there  prophets  now  ?  Is  a  newborn  child  a 
sinner?  Is  one  man,  then,  punished  for  another  man's  fault? 
Has  anybody  died,  gone  to  heaven  or  hell,  and  come  back  to 
report?  Did  Buddha  live?  [Answer,  He  lived,  but  did  not 
do  what  is  now  said  of  him.]  If  so,  how  do  you  know  that  the 
account  of  Christ  is  not  made  up  in  the  same  way  ?  Could  not 
the  disciples  conspire  to  make  the  Gospel  ?     Chapter  xvii.  of 


64        MODERN  APOSTLES  OF  MISSIONARY  BYWAYS 

*' Among  the  Mongols,"  gives  a  fine  summary  of  the  questions 
and  difficulties  met  in  this  work. 

4.  The  perfected  fruitage  of  such  evangelistic  efforts,  it  was 
not  permitted  Gilmour  to  see.  Rev.  W.  P.  Sprague,  of  the 
American  Board  Mission  at  Kalgan,  having  baptized  his  only 
convert  among  the  nomad  Mongols,  Boyinto  Jaugge  of  Shab- 
berti :  The  story  of  this  man's  brave  confession  in  the  midst 
of  the  dense  smoke  of  a  lama's  tent,  and  Gilmour's  twenty- 
three  mile  walk  with  Boyinto,  when  his  feet  caused  him  ex- 
cruciating pain,  that  he  might  have  the  privilege,  well-nigh 
unknown  in  Mongolia,  of  private  conversation  and  prayer  with 
the  young  confessor,  is  one  of  the  most  pathetic  that  Gilmour 
ever  penned.  (See  Lovett's  <' James  Gilmour  of  Mongolia," 
pp.  158-168.) 

IX.  Gilmour  as  Lay  Physician. — *'  Doctoring  the 
Mongols  "  is  one  of  the  best  chapters  in  his  most  widely  known 
book.  In  its  most  systematic  form,  this  sort  of  work  was  done 
among  the  agricultural  Mongols  and  others  who  came  to  him 
at  his  street-tent  dispensary  in  the  towns  of  Ch'ao  Yang,  Ta 
Ch'eng-tzu  and  T*a  Ssu  K'ou,  270  miles  northeast  by  east  of 
Peking,  in  which  places  he  spent  most  of  his  time  after  1885. 
Striking  out  his  simple  medical  tent,  the  picture  is  the  same  of 
his  medical  work  among  the  nomads  during  the  preceding 
fifteen  years  of  his  missionary  life. 

1.  Once  known  that  a  foreigner  with  a  medicine  chest  is 
among  them  and  the  news  spreads  far  and  wide,  the  story  of 
his  renown  and  of  the  potency  of  his  medicines  growing  as  it 
passes  from  mouth  to  mouth.  Persons  apply  for  relief  who  are 
afflicted  with  all  sorts  of  diseases ,  the  most  comm.on  of  which 
are  itch,  rheumatism,  eye  difficulties,  spring  diseases  due  to  the 
damp  of  the  thaw,  ague,  narry — occasioned  by  whisky  which 
burns  the  stomach  so  that  numbers  die  from  it — and  the  chronic 
maladies  of  women,  affecting  nearly  every  one  of  these  beyond 
girlhood. 

2.  In  curing  disease  Gilmour  was  far  more  than  a  match  for 
the  lamas,  who  depend  largely  on  prayer,  the  crude  quackery 
of  China,  and  water-cures, — despite  the  ordinary  fear  of  the 
Mongol,  that  if  water  is  freely  used  on  the  body  he  will  become 
a  fish  after  death.  Indeed,  so  great  was  his  reputation  that  he 
was  asked  "  to  perform  absurd,  laughable  or  impossible  cures. 
One  man  wants  to  be  made  clever,  another  to  be  made  fat,  an- 
other to  be  cured  of  insanity,  another  of  tobacco,  another  of 
whisky,  another  of  tea,  another  wants  to  be  made  strong  so  as 
to  conquer  in  gymnastic  exercises,  most  men  want  medicines  to 


JA3IES  GILMOUB  65 

make  their  beards  grow,  while  almost  every  man,  woman  and 
child  want  to  have  his  or  her  skin  made  as  white  as  that  of  the 
foreigner." 

3.  In  the  chapter  above  referred  to,  Gilmour  states  some  of 
the  limitations  imposed  upon  the  missionary.  '*  To  have  any 
prospect  of  success  among  the  Mongols,  the  missionary  must 
avoid  raising  suspicions;  and,  if  he  is  to  avoid  raising 
suspicions,  he  must  cUmb  no  hill,  pick  up  no  pebble,  never  go 
for  a  walk,  and  never  manifest  any  pleasure  in  the  scenery.  If 
he  does  any  of  these  things,  stories  and  rumors  are  at  once  cir- 
culated which  effectually  close  the  minds  of  the  inhabitants 
against  his  teaching."  He  must  be  even  more  careful  about 
writing  and  should  avoid  shooting  beast  or  birds. 

4.  Gilmour' s  Views  as  to  the  Value  of  Medicine  in  Mon- 
golia.— While  acknowledging  that  the  sparsity  of  the  popula- 
tion is  an  argument  against  sending  physicians  there,  he  adds 
that  ''  it  must  not  be  forgotten  that  when  at  length  you  do  meet 
an  inhabitant,  he  or  she  is  almost  sure  to  be  suffering  from  some 
disease  or  other."  And  again:  *' The  seeming  interest  and 
apparent  friendliness  with  which  many  of  them  have  listened  to 
the  Gospel  message,  has,  under  God,  been  mainly  owing  to  the 
fact  that  I  tried  to  heal  their  diseases,  while  I  said  that  the 
Kingdom  of  God  had  come  nigh  to  them."  Letters  to  his  two 
sons  repeatedly  express  the  hope  that  they  may  become  medical 
missionaries  and  come  to  Mongolia's  relief. 

As  to  *'the  dangerous  knowledge"  of  the  lay  physician^ 
Gilmour's  testimony  is  also  of  value.  *'  No  one  has  more  de- 
testation than  I  have  for  the  quack  that  patters  in  the  presence 
of  trained  skill ;  but  from  what  I  have  known  and  seen  of  mis- 
sion life,  both  in  myself  and  others,  since  coming  to  Nortli 
China,  I  think  it  is  little  less  than  culpable  homicide  to  deny  a 
little  hospital  training  to  men  who  may  have  to  pass  weeks  and 
months  of  their  lives  in  places  where  they  themselves,  or  those 
about  them,  may  sicken  and  die  from  curable  diseases  before  the 
doctor  could  be  summoned,  even  supiX)sing  he  could  leave  his 
part  and  come." 

X.  Gilmour  in  Other  Relations. — Some  details  of  his  life 
outside  its  directly  missionary  phases,  must  be  given,  if  the 
picture  is  to  be  symmetrical. 

I.  His  courtship  a7id  marriage  on  December  8,  1874,  to 
Emily  Prankard,  of  London,  who  came  out  to  him  at  Peking, 
was  characteristic  of  him  and  supplied  a  greatly  needed  and 
appreciated  factor  in  his  lonely  life.  This  is  his  account  of  tlie 
affair  :     "  About  my  wife  :   as  I  want  you  to  know  her,  I  in- 


66        310DERN  APOSTLES  OF  BIISSIONAEY  BYWAYS 

troduce  you  to  her.  She  is  a  jolly  girl,  as  much,  perhaps  more, 
of  a  Christian  and  a  Christian  missionary  than  I  am.  I  pro- 
posed first  to  a  Scotch  girl,  but  found  I  was  too  late.  I  then 
put  myself  in  the  direction  of  this  affair — I  mean  the  finding 
of  a  wife — into  God's  hands,  asking  Him  to  look  me  out  one, 
a  good  one  too,  and  very  soon  I  found  myself  in  a  position  to 
propose  to  Miss  Prankard  with  all  reasonable  evidence  that  she 
was  the  right  sort  of  a  girl,  and  with  some  hope  that  she  would 
not  disdain  the  offer.  We  had  never  seen  each  other,  and  had 
never  corresponded ;  but  she  had  heard  much  about  me  from 
people  in  England  who  knew  me,  and  I  had  heard  a  good  deal 
of  her  and  seen  her  letters,  written  to  her  sister  and  to  her  sis- 
ter's husband  [Gilmour's  colleague.  Rev.  S.  E.  Meech].  The 
first  letter  I  wrote  to  her  was  to  propose,  and  the  first  letter  she 
wrote  to  me  was  to  accept — romantic  enough  !  " 

Mrs.  Gilmour  was  a  genuine  help-meet  to  her  husband  and 
shared  in  his  Mongolian  experiences.  She  made  rapid  advance 
in  the  language,  though  she  paid  the  price  by  having  to  live 
without  privacy  and  by  contracting,  or  at  least  aggravating,  the 
disease  which  bereft  him  of  her  on  September  19,  1885.  "■  He 
himself  bears  testimony  to  the  unerring  skill  which  she  possessed 
in  gauging  the  moral  qualities  of  the  Chinese.  She  gave  much 
time  and  labor  to  Christian  work  among  the  women  and  girls  in 
Peking  ;  and  her  husband  was  greatly  helped  in  his  work  dur- 
ing the  nearly  eleven  years  of  married  life  by  her  sound  judg- 
ment, her  strong  affection,  her  loving  Christian  character,  and 
her  entire  consecration  to  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ." 

2.  His  love  for,  and  care  of,  the  three  boys,  who  survived 
the  mother's  death, — baby  Alick,  Willie,  who  was  then  six,  and 
James,  aged  eight — were  almost  ideal.  As  one  sees  the  father 
mending  their  garments  and  reads  the  equally  charming  and 
pathetic  pages  of  "James  Gilmour  and  His  Boys,"  one  comes 
to  realize  the  depths  of  his  father  love  and  the  intense  reality  of 
the  better  world,  where  his  wife  and  little  Alick — who  died  in 
December,  1887 — awaited  him.  Separation  from  his  two  eldest 
bairns  when  they  returned  to  Scotland,  was  almost  like  another 
death,  but  he  met  it  like  a  Christian,  in  spite  of  an  agonized 
''Oh  !  the  parting." 

3.  Relation  to  Fellow  Missionaries. — Besides  making  Peking 
his  winter  headquarters,  he  was  obliged  to  spend  much  time 
there  in  Chinese  work,  owing  to  the  absence  on  furlough  of  his 
colleagues.  He  likewise  aided  somewhat  in  the  work  at 
Tientsin  and  in  Shan-tung.  This  brought  him  into  contact 
with  other  missionaries,  whose  opinions  did  not  always  coincide 


JAMES  GILMOUR  67 

with  his  own.  Owing  to  his  strong  views  on  matters  mentioned 
in  the  following  paragraph,  there  was  some  friction ;  yet  the 
Christian  always  dominated  the  partisan,  except  as  regarded  his 
own  unique  work  in  Mongolia,  concerning  which  he  felt  that 
he  must  have  Hberty.  In  his  later  years,  his  fellowship  with 
those  who,  like  Dr.  Mackenzie,  were  spiritually-minded,  was 
most  tender  and  sweet.  How  he  longed — though  in  vain  save 
for  the  companionship  for  a  brief  time  of  Drs.  Roberts  and 
Smith  and  Mr.  Parker — to  have  such  communion  and  coopera- 
tion in  lonely  Mongolia  ! 

4.  Divergence  from  Commofi  Views  and  Practices. — The 
differences  above  referred  to  had  to  do  with  what  many  called 
his  ascetic  and  extreme  views.  Thus  he  strove  to  be  to  the 
Mongolian  as  a  Mongol — donned  their  clothes  and  ate  their  food, 
even  becoming  a  vegetarian  for  a  time,  for  the  sake  of  influence 
mainly.  The  advantages  thereby  gained  and  the  great  saving 
in  expense  made  him  feel  that  others  should  profit  by  his  ex- 
perience and  imitate  it. 

Again,  from  college  days  he  was  an  ardent  teetotaler,  and 
his  intimate  acquaintance  with  the  evils  of  tobacco,  whisky 
and  opium  in  his  field,  together  with  the  effect  on  the  native 
church  of  admitting  persons  subject  to  these  habits,  made  him 
urge  that  no  one  be  received  v/ho  had  them.  While  he  finally 
yielded  to  the  will  of  the  Mission  in  this  matter,  it  was  with  the 
greatest  reluctance. 

For  some  years  previous  to  his  second  furlough  home  in 
1889,  he  gave  up  all  reading  except  the  Bible,  and  this  position 
prevented  close  fellowship  with  some  others.  After  this  stay  in 
the  home-land,  he  passed  beyond  that  view  and  greatly  enjoyed 
books  and  periodicals,  though  he  studied  the  Bible  with  all  his 
old  eagerness  and  gave  the  preference  to  writings  bearing  on 
the  culture  of  the  soul. 

In  his  prayer  life  he  also  differed  from  many  others,  setting 
them  a  worthy  example.  In  addition  to  entire  days  devoted  to 
prayer  and  fasting,  ''morning,  noon  and  night,  at  least,  he 
talked  with  God.  He  took  everything  to  God,  and  asked  His 
advice  about  everything.  His  prayers  were  very  simple,  just 
like  a  child  talking  to  mother  or  father,  or  friend  talking  famil- 
iarly with  friend."  Moments  were  likewise  improved.  When 
writing,  he  would  stop  at  the  bottom  of  the  page,  and  instead 
of  blotting  it,  he  would  engage  in  prayer  while  the  ink  was 
drying. 

XI.  "  Through  the  Gates  Into  the  City."— Leaving  un- 
said many  things  of  great  interest,  particularly  the  thrilling 


68        MODERN  APOSTLES  OF  MISSIONARY  BYWAYS 

stories  of  adventure  and  peril,  we  cannot  but  pause  to  note  the 
passing  of  the  hero  of  Mongolia. 

1.  The  Last  Annual  Meeting. — Mr.  Gilmour  had  not  been 
present  for  some  years  at  the  Annual  Meeting  of  the  London 
Mission  at  Tientsin.  Deciding  not  to  miss  the  gathering  of 
1891,  he  prepared  for  it  by  prolonged  prayer  and  by  writing 
many  letters  urging  that  everything  be  done  to  make  the  native 
workers,  who  came  up  that  year  for  the  first  time  to  the  con- 
ference, enjoy  the  occasion  and  profit  from  its  exercises.  He 
was  anxious  that  as  many  of  them  as  possible  might  sit  at  table 
with  the  missionaries. 

Gilmour  enjoyed  the  journey  down,  especially  that  part  of  it 
over  the  newly  constructed  railway.  His  unusual  good  health 
he  attributed  to  more  nourishing  food,  vegetarianism  having 
been  abandoned,  to  abstinence  from  fasting  and  to  the  fact 
that,  instead  of  carrying  burdens,  he  had  at  last  learned  to  roll 
them  off  upon  the  Lord.  In  the  meetings,  over  which  he  pre- 
sided as  chairman  with  great  tact  and  humor,  his  friends  noted 
his  great  deference  to  the  views  of  others,  and  in  the  gatherings 
held  every  evening  for  the  deepening  of  the  spiritual  life,  which 
he  also  conducted,  his  spiritual  growth  and  fervor  were  like- 
wise marked.  Swan  songs  that  gave  him  deepest  satisfaction 
and  which  were  repeatedly  sung  during  those  days,  were  the 
hymns  beginning  with  **0  Christ,  in  Thee  my  soul  hath 
found,"  "  In  the  shadow  of  His  wings  there  is  rest,  sweet  rest," 
**  God  holds  the  key  of  all  unknown,"  and  "  Some  one  at  last 
will  his  cross  lay  down." 

His  latest  lines  were  written  to  a  Kalgan  missionary  less  than 
a  fortnight  before  the  end,  when  he  was  just  entering  his  fatal 
illness.  The  next  to  the  last  paragraph  of  the  letter  reads  : 
"Lately  I  am  being  more  and  more  impressed  with  the  idea 
that  what  is  wanted  in  China  is  not  new  <  lightning '  methods, 
so  much  as  good,  honest,  quiet,  earnest,  persistent  work,  in  old 
lines  and  ways," 

2.  The  Golden  Bowl  Broken. — The  unusual  burdens,  added 
to  by  preaching  and  a  daily  Bible-class,  with  the  native  helpers, 
and  made  more  serious  because  of  heart  weakness,  finally  ter- 
minated in  an  eleven  days'  siege  of  typhus  fever.  Its  fierce  fires 
and  more  or  less  delirium  prevented  a  normal  end.  Part  of 
the  time  he  was  once  more  on  the  Mongolian  plateau,  living  out 
the  old  heroic  role  ;  once  he  was  addressing  an  audience  with 
energetic  gesticulations  :  '*  We  are  not  spending  the  time  as  we 
should ;  we  ought  to  be  waiting  on  God  in  prayer  for  blessing 
upon  the  work  He  has  given  us  to  do.     I  would  like  to  make  a 


JAiUES  GILMOUB  69 

rattling  speech — but  I  cannot — I  am  very  ill — and  can  only  say 
these  few  words,"  and  he  waved  a  farewell  to  his  listeners. 
That  same  evening  the  struggle  ceased,  and  in  quietness  his 
spirit  passed  away — on  Thursday,  May  21,  1891. 

XII.  Funeral  and  Tribute. — i.  The  burial  occmrtdi  to- 
ward evening  of  the  following  Saturday.  A  lovely  afternoon  ; 
a  hymn-sheet  with  Bunyan's  words  printed  upon  it,  ''  The  pil- 
grim they  laid  in  an  upper  chamber  whose  window  opened  to- 
ward the  sunrising  ;  "  the  coffin  borne  by  relays  of  bearers, 
both  foreigners  and  natives ;  the  final  resting-place  adjoining 
that  of  his  dear  friend,  Dr.  Mackenzie ;  the  appropriate  funeral 
service,  including  the  hymn,  "Sleep  on,  beloved,  sleep,  and 
take  thy  rest ;  "  singing  by  the  Chinese  of  their  version  of  "  In 
the  Christian's  home  in  glory,"  while  little  Chinese  boys  who 
had  loved  Gilmour  came  forward  and  threw  flowers  into  the 
grave — these  were  the  last  scenes  in  a  life  of  heroic  dimensions. 

Less  than  a  year  before,  he  had  written :  '*  There  remains  a 
rest.  Somewhere  ahead.  Not  very  far  at  the  longest.  Per- 
fect, quiet,  full,  without  solitude,  isolation,  or  inability  to  ac- 
complish ;  when  the  days  of  our  youth  will  be  more  than  re- 
stored to  us ;  where,  should  mysteries  remain,  there  will  be  no 
torment  in  them.  And  the  reunions  there  !  "  He  had  reached 
this  rest  remaining. 

2.  The  strength  of  that  life,  Gilmour's  dear  friend  and  biog- 
rapher, Richard  Lovett,  thus  points  out:  ''Love,  self-cruci- 
fixion, Jesus  Christ  followed  in  adversity,  in  loneliness,  in  mani- 
fold perils,  under  almost  every  form  of  trial  and  hindrance  and 
resistance,  both  active  and  passive — these  are  the  seeds  James 
Gilmour  has  sown  so  richly  on  the  hard  Mongolian  plain,  and 
over  its  eastern  mountains  and  valleys.  *  In  due  time  we  shall 
reap,  if  we  faint  not.'  His  work  goes  on.  He  is  now  doing 
the  Master's  bidding  in  the  higher  service.  There,  we  must 
fain  believe,  he  is  finding  full  scope  for  those  altogether  ex- 
ceptional spiritual  affinities  and  powers  and  capacities,  which 
stand  out  so  conspicuously  all  through  the  story  of  his  inner 
life." 


Miss  Eliza  Agnew 

Ceylon's  "  Mother  of  a  Thousand  Daughters  " 
1807-1883 


BY  MISS  ABBIE  B.  CHILD. 

1.  Early  Life. — i.  The  Decisio7i. — In  the  early  days  of 
this  century,  about  the  year  181 5,  a  faithful  teacher  in  a  day- 
school  in  New  York  City  was  giving  a  lesson  in  Geography  to 
his  pupils.  As  he  pointed  out  the  Isle  of  France  on  the  map, 
he  spoke  of  it  as  a  place  to  be  remembered  as  containing  the 
grave  of  Harriet  Newell  who,  years  before,  had  been  one  of  his 
favorite  pupils.  He  gave  an  account  of  her  beautiful  life  and 
early  death,  and  portrayed  to  the  class  the  condition  of  heathen 
people  and  her  object  in  going  to  them.  Among  his  scholars 
was  a  little  girl  of  eight  years  with  a  serious,  earnest  face, 
named  Eliza  Agnew.  Her  sensitive  nature  was  so  stirred  by 
the  story  of  a  great  need,  that,  with  a  maturity  beyond  her 
years,  she  decided,  then  and  there,  that  if  it  were  God's  will 
when  she  should  grov/  to  be  a  woman,  she  "would  be  a  mis- 
sionary to  tell  tlie  heathen  about  Jesus."  So  was  added  one 
more  consecrated  life  to  the  many  which  sprang  from  the  in- 
fluence of  Harriet  Newell,  and  thus  did  the  seed  thought  of 
the  present  Student  Volunteer  Declaration  find  an  early  lodg- 
ment in  her  young  heart. 

2.  Co7iversio7i  and  Service. — As  she  grew  to  womanhood, 
duty  to  her  parents  and  family  friends  kept  her  in  New  York 
City  until  her  thirty-third  year,  but  she  never  forgot  the  resolve 
of  her  childhood.  At  seventeen,  in  the  midst  of  stirring  re- 
vival scenes,  she  gave  her  heart  to  her  Lord  in  whole-souled 
surrender,  and  a  few  weeks  later  united  with  the  Presbyterian 
Church,  under  the  pastoral  care  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  McCartee. 
Year  after  year  went  by  filled  with  quiet  home  duties,  and  the 
only  outside  religious  work  open  to  women  at  that  time — in 
the  Sabbath-school  and  in  tract  distribution. 


3IISS  ELIZA   AG  NEW  71 

II.  Entrance  Into  Missionary  Life. — In  1839  the  death 
of  her  parents  and  the  severance  of  other  home  ties  had  made 
it  possible  for  her  to  fulfill  her  long-cherished  purpose,  and  in 
April  of  that  year,  she  made  application  for  appointment  as  a 
missionary  of  the  American  Board. 

1.  Reasons  for  Going. — Her  letter  of  application  contains 
these  words  :  ''It  was  not  till  my  seventeenth  year  that  I  v/as 
brought  to  a  knowledge  of  the  truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus,  and  the 
desire  that  sympathy  had  enkindled  in  childhood  was  increased 
when  I  viewed  them  as  immortal  beings,  possessed  of  spirits 
capable  of  enjoying  God,  ignorant  of  their  true  state  and  char- 
acter, and  the  way  of  salvation  through  a  crucified  Saviour. 
These  impressions,  with  a  due  sense  of  my  obligations  to  Him 
who  loved  me  and  gave  Himself  for  me,  as  well  as  the  duties  I 
owe  to  my  dying  fellow-creatures,  and  the  blessing  I  have  al- 
ways enjoyed  of  uninterrupted  health,  constrain  me  to  say, 
'  Here  am  I,  Lord,  send  me.'  " 

2.  Testimonials  from  her  pastor  and  intimate  friends ^  at 
that  time,  speak  of  her  as  possessed  of  "decision  and  firmness 
of  character,  of  patience  and  perseverance;  "  as  "modest,  un- 
assuming, obliging,  kind,  forbearing,  cautious  in  speech,  watch- 
ful to  improve  opportunities  to  speak  for  her  Master ;  "  of  "  an 
unwavering  desire  to  spend  and  be  spent  in  His  service  among 
the  heathen." 

3.  Voyage  and  Arrival. — Rejoicing  "that  the  Lord  had 
condescended  to  prosper  my  way,"  she  set  sail  on  the  thirtieth 
of  July,  1839,  with  the  Rev.  Phineas  Hunt  and  his  wife,  and 
two  other  "  Female  teachers,"  Miss  Sarah  F.  Brown,  and  Miss 
Jane  E.  Lathrop.  (Miss  Brown  was  soon  obliged  to  return  be- 
cause of  failing  health,  and  Miss  Lathrop  afterward  married 
Rev.  Henry  Cherry  of  the  Madura  Mission.) 

They  sailed  on  the  bark  Black  Warrior,  a  vessel  with 
rather  a  redoubtable  name  for  such  quiet  people,  on  so  peace- 
ful a  mission.  To  go  half-way  around  the  world  in  1899  in 
luxurious  steamers  is  a  pleasant  holiday  excursion,  but  this 
little  company  in  their  cramped,  uncomfortable  quarters  were 
five  months  at  sea,  arriving  in  Jaffna,  Ceylon,  in  January,  1840. 
They  went  expecting  never  to  return.  They  left  their  native 
land  to  remain  till  they  should  go  to  that  land  from  whence 
they  would  go  no  more  out  forever. 

III.  "Ceylon's  Isle." — i.  The  country  to  which  Miss 
Agnew  went  is  one  where  every  prospect  pleases.  It  was  a 
delight  for  sea-tired  eyes  to  rest  on  the  gorgeous  vegetation  of 
the  tropics ;   the  flambo  just  ready  to  burst  into  a  glory  of  scar- 


72        MODERN  APOSTLES  OF  MISSIONARY  BYWAYS 

let  blossoms;  the  cork  tree  with  its  white  clusters  of  sweet- 
smelling  flowers  which  cover  the  ground  like  snow ;  the 
tamarind  with  its  acid  fruit-pods.  There  are  mahogany,  olive, 
margosa,  teak,  iron-wood,  ebony,  mango,  jack-wood,  apple  and 
many  other  kinds  of  trees.  Shooting  up  were  the  cocoanut 
and  Palmyra  palms,  with  their  magnificent,  tall  trunks  and 
great  tufted  heads,  and  around  them  were  the  rice  fields,  like 
lakes  of  living  green,  and  the  broad  patches  of  tea  plants 
creeping  up  the  hillsides. 

2.  The  women  and  girls  among  whom  our  missionary  was 
to  work  were  many  of  them,  especially  among  the  higher  classes, 
very  attractive, — gentle,  shy,  affectionate,  and  very  pretty, 
with  their  rich  dark  skins,  and  soft  black  eyes.  These  v/ere  en- 
hanced by  their  dress,  the  brilliant,  graceful  engadi,  and  by 
the  jewelry,  with  which  the  Tamil  woman  loves  to  deck  herself, 
— head  ornaments,  earrings,  nose-rings,  necklaces,  bangles,  an- 
klets and  toe  rings.  Others,  in  the  lower  classes,  were  hard- 
featured,  rough,  unkempt,  filthy,  degraded  ; — yet  nearly  all  had 
sad,  dull  faces,  reflecting  their  vacant,  miserable  lives. 

IV.  Uduville  Seminary. — Miss  Agnew's  life-work  was  to 
be  in  a  boarding  school  for  girls  in  Uduville,  one  of  the  prin- 
cipal cities  in  the  Jaffna  Province. 

1.  Interest  in  Her  Coming. — No  single  lady  had  been  sent 
before  to  Ceylon,  and  the  people  could  not  at  first  understand 
that  a  woman  actually  unmarried  should  come  so  far.  Miss 
Agnew  was  fond  of  relating  how  on  the  day  that  she  arrived, 
while  busy  in  her  room,  two  bright  black  eyes  peered  up  at  her 
through  a  convenient  hole  in  the  hedge,  and  a  small  voice 
anxiously  asked,  "Please,  where  is  Mr.  Agnew?"  The 
curiosity,  however,  soon  changed  to  love  and  admiration,  as 
she  threw  herself  into  her  work. 

2.  Miss  Agnew  Its  First  Special  Teacher. — The  school  had 
been  started  thirteen  years  before,  and  cared  for  hitherto  by  the 
wives  of  missionaries,  but  now  demanded  the  full  time  of  a 
special  teacher.  It  was  surely  no  accident  that  the  need  had 
become  imperative  on  one  side  of  the  world  just  as  the  teacher 
was  made  ready  to  meet  the  demand  on  the  other.  As  the  life  of 
the  school  and  the  life  of  Miss  Agnew  were  almost  inseparable, 
we  give  space  to  a  brief  history  of  the  school. 

3.  Desirability  and  Difficulty  of  Establishing  Boarding 
Schools. — In  the  early  history  of  the  mission  it  was  compara- 
tively easy  to  persuade  children,  more  especially  boys,  to  at- 
tend day-schools  taught  by  a  native  teacher ;  but  it  was  soon 
decided  that  for  an  effective  Christian  education,  it  would  be 


3fISS  ELIZA   AGNEW  73 

necessary  to  take  them  away  from  their  homes,  and  place  them 
entirely  mider  the  care  of  the  missionaries.  This  was  a  diffi- 
cult thing  to  do,  and  it  was  some  time  before  any  could  be  in- 
duced to  brave  the  ridicule  sure  to  be  brought  upon  them  by 
living  in  a  Christian  family. 

4.  The  siory  of  the  first  girls  who  were  induced  to  learn  to 
read  is  as  follows  :  Two  little  girls  were  in  the  habit  of  lingering 
around  Mrs.  Winslow's  house,  sometimes  peeping  in  at  a  door 
or  a  window,  but  running  away  with  fright  if  Mrs.  Winslow 
attempted  to  speak  to  them.  Gradually  they  ventured  nearer, 
sitting  on  the  doorstep  for  a  few  minutes  at  a  time,  receiving 
some  fruit  when  offered,  and  at  length  they  were  induced  to 
take  a  needle  and  learn  to  sew,  by  the  promise  of  a  jacket 
when  they  should  learn  to  make  one.  After  six  months,  a 
storm  drove  one  of  these  girls  into  the  house  for  shelter  and  as 
the  rain  continued,  she  stayed  all  night  and  ate  her  supper  in 
the  mission-house.  When  she  went  home  to  her  father  the 
next  morning,  he  said  :  **  You  need  not  come  here ;  you  have 
eaten  the  missionaries'  rice.  Go  back  to  them  ;  be  their  child 
hereafter."  She  did  go  back,  and  was  gladly  received  by  the 
missionaries.  She  was  named  Betsey  Pomeroy,  was  the  first 
convert  in  the  school,  and  became  a  Christian  wife  and 
mother. 

5.  ''  Central  Boarding  SchooT^  Established. — Similar  be- 
ginnings were  made  in  other  stations,  and  in  1824  it  was  thought 
best  to  collect  all  the  girls  who  were  under  the  care  of  the  mis- 
sionaries in  different  villages  in  one  '<  Central  Boarding  School  " 
at  Uduville.  This  girl's  school  opened  with  twenty-nine  pupils 
in  a  bungalow,  a  mere  shelter,  consisting  of  a  thatched-roof, 
supported  on  six  or  eight  posts,  having  a  hard  floor  of  earth, 
on  which  the  children  sat  cross-legged,  writing  in  the  sand,  or 
using  palm-leaves  for  slates,  and  stiles  for  pencils.  The  num- 
ber of  pupils  gradually  increased  to  fifty  and  seventy-five,  till 
in  1838  there  were  a  hundred  in  the  school.  The  bungalow 
was  soon  outgrown,  and  a  brick  schoolroom  with  a  wide  ve- 
randa was  erected,  with  a  separate  building  for  dormitories.  In 
the  latter  building  there  were  little  rooms  for  private  devotion, 
called  "prayer  closets,"  which  have  always  been  sacred  places 
in  the  school,  and  a  source  of  great  spiritual  power.  On  ac- 
count of  the  great  increase  in  attendance,  it  was  absolutely 
necessary  that  a  single  lady  should  be  secured  to  give  her  whole 
time  to  it,  and  in  1839,  as  we  have  seen.  Miss  Agnew  was  sent 
put  to  take  up  the  work  which  she  never  laid  down,  except  for 
a  brief  visit  to  the  ''  Hills,"  for  more  than  forty  years. 


74        3I0DEIIN  APOSTLES  OF  MISSIONARY  BYWAYS 

6.  Through  her  influence  the  religious  history  of  the  school 
has  been  very  remarkable.  From  the  first,  the  very  act  of  join- 
ing the  school  has  seemed  to  be  attended  in  many  cases  with  the 
expectation  of  becoming  a  Christian,  and  they  were  constantly 
admitted  to  the  church  in  companies  of  six,  eight  and  ten. 

There  have  been  frequent  and  powerful  revivals  from  its 
very  commencement.  An  account  of  one  follows  as  an  illus- 
tration of  all.  At  the  missionary  meeting  in  the  autumn,  it 
was  a  general  remark,  that  there  never  had  been  known  to 
exist  a  greater  degree  of  coldness  in  the  churches  than  at  that 
time.  A  few  days  after  this,  the  missionary  living  at  Uduville 
was  awakened  from  sleep  about  eleven  o'clock  in  the  evening 
by  the  voice  of  a  person  in  distress  and  on  going  to  the  ve- 
randa, heard  the  voice  of  prayer  and  weeping.  A  few  moments 
afterward  one  of  the  girls  came  to  the  house  saying,  *'  We  want 
some  one  to  come  and  talk  to  and  pray  with  us."  The  voice 
of  weeping,  prayer  and  singing  did  not  cease  till  one  or  two 
o'clock  in  the  morning,  and  some  had  little  or  no  sleep  during 
the  night.  For  several  days  meetings  were  held  with  them, 
when  some  of  them  led  in  prayer.  At  the  close  of  one  of 
these  meetings,  an  assistant  remarked  that  it  seemed  to  him 
when  the  last  girl  prayed  that  it  was  not  her  prayer,  but  the 
prayer  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  as  if  some  other  person  were  speak- 
ing. "  More  deep  feeling  and  m.ore  fervent,  wrestling  prayer," 
says  a  missionary,  *'I  never  witnessed.  The  last  thing  I  heard 
at  night  and  the  first  thing  in  the  morning  was  the  voice  of 
prayer  and  praise.  At  the  end  of  one  week  after  the  com- 
mencement of  this  awakening,  one  of  the  older  girls  who  is  a 
church  member,  being  asked  how  many  of  the  girls  in  the 
school  cared  for  their  souls  replied,  *  There  is  not  one  girl  who 
does  not  care  for  her  soul.'  " 

The  following  letter  from  the  oldest  girl  in  the  school  will  be 
read  with  interest,  in  connection  with  the  account  of  this  re- 
vival. "  We  agreed  about  one  year  ago  to  hold  a  meeting 
every  Tuesday  evening  to  pray  for  our  parents,  and  accordingly 
last  Tuesday  we  held  a  meeting ;  and  after  two  or  three  had 
prayed  we  were  about  to  close  the  meeting,  when  another  girl 
prayed.  And  when  we  heard  how  she,  as  it  were,  wrestled 
with  God  in  her  prayer,  we  were  unable  to  close  the  meeting, 
having  a  strong  desire  to  continue  all  night,  because  her  prayer 
was  as  when  a  miserable  beggar  pleads  with  a  rich  man,  or  as 
when  a  child  entreats  a  favor  of  a  parent,  or  as  when  a  person 
agonizes  for  a  friend  who  is  about  to  be  hung.  When  she  had 
closed  her  prayer,  some  of  us  were  exceedingly  agitated,  and 


3nSS  ELIZA   AGNEW  75 

were  unable  to  speak,  for  we  saw  all  our  sins  and  defects. 
Then  some  of  us  had  a  thought,  viz.,  that  we  could  not  expect 
peace  of  mind  till  we  had  called  some  of  the  older  girls  who 
did  not  seriously  seek  Jesus  Christ  with  all  their  hearts  and 
talked  with  them.  We,  however,  concluded  that  we  must  first 
acknowledge  our  own  faults  and  ask  forgiveness  of  God  and 
then  call  the  girls  and  speak  with  them.  After  we  had  done 
according  to  this,  our  determination,  we  called  up  those  who 
were  asleep  and  conversed  with  them.  At  that  time  they 
were  aroused  to  anxiety  about  their  souls.  For  this  we  praise 
the  Lord.  From  that  day  to  this  they  lift  up  their  voices  in 
prayer  to  God  day  and  night.  We  do  not  believe  there  is  one 
girl  in  the  school  who  does  not  pray." 

7.  In  June,  1874,  the  school  celebrated  its  semi-centennial 
by  a  large  jubilee  meeting,  which  was  an  occasion  of  very  great 
interest.  Invitations  had  been  sent  to  those  pupils  who  were 
living,  as  far  as  known,  to  be  present  with  their  children,  and  a 
large  number  came,  nearly  filling  the  spacious  church  in  which 
the  exercises  were  held.  Many  of  their  husbands  and  fathers 
were  present,  sitting  at  the  farther  end  of  the  church,  while 
the  women  and  children,  closely  seated  on  mats,  filled  the 
greater  part  of  the  space  in  front.  Among  them,  creeping 
slowly  and  painfully  in,  leaning  upon  her  granddaughter,  was 
the  first  pupil,  Betsey  Pomeroy,  who  had  been  matron  in  the 
school  for  many  years,  and  had  always  borne  the  character  of 
an  earnest,  trustworthy  Christian  helper.  Interesting  addresses 
were  made  by  former  native  teachers,  Pastor  Hunt,  a  native 
minister  of  the  Church  Mission,  and  a  lawyer  from  Jaffna,  whose 
.  wives  were  all  educated  in  the  school. 

When  the  interest  reached  its  height,  it  seemed  very  ap- 
propriate that  there  should  be  some  practical  expression  of  it. 
A  teacher  in  the  college  rose,  spoke  earnestly  for  a  few  minutes, 
and  in  closing,  referring  to  the  fact  that  he  had  no  rings  in  his 
ears  or  on  his  fingers,  turned  to  his  wife  and  sister  who  were 
present,  and  asked  them  to  make  an  offering  of  some  of  their 
jewelry,  to  be  kept  as  a  memorial  of  the  day.  They  cheerfully 
responded  by  sending  up  five  gold  finger  rings  and  his  little 
daughter  added  a  silver  toe  ring.  As  he  took  his  seat,  a  doc- 
tor, who  was  in  charge  of  the  '<  Friend  in  Need  Society,"  came 
forward  and  made  a  brief,  earnest  speech,  alluding  to  the  col- 
lege which  had  been  established  for  the  young  men,  and  ex- 
pressing a  wish  that  the  Uduville  school  should  become  an 
endowed  college  for  the  young  women,  where  English  as  well 
as  Tamil  should  be  taught.     He  then  laid  upon  the  table  a  pair 


76        MODERN  APOSTLES  OF  MISSIONARY  BYWAYS 

of  diamond  earrings  as  a  pledge  of  five  pounds  toward  the  en- 
dowment of  the  future  college.  He  was  followed  by  others 
till  quite  a  sura  was  raised  for  an  endowment  fund. 

Before  closing,  an  address  prepared  in  behalf  of  graduates 
and  students  to  Miss  Agnew,  was  read  in  both  English  and 
Tamil,  and  a  check  for  $825,  contributed  as  a  memorial  of  the 
Jubilee,  was  presented  to  her  in  recognition  of  her  own  long 
services  and  those  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Spaulding.  This  sum  con- 
stitutes what  is  called  the  ''Spaulding  a?id  Agnew  Fund,''  the 
interest  of  which  is  to  be  applied  for  the  education  of  girls  in 
the  school.  This  fund  gradually  increased  till  with  its  interest 
and  the  native  fees,  the  school  became  self-supporting  in  1883, 
the  very  year  that  Miss  Agnew,  after  her  long  life  of  self-sacri- 
fice, "  fell  on  sleep." 

8.  Her  Long  and  Fruitful  Service. — Miss  Agnew  remained 
at  the  head  of  the  school  for  forty  years,  without  once  return- 
ing to  her  native  land.  She  was  blessed  with  remarkable 
health,  and  although  it  was  often  suggested  to  her  to  take  a 
vacation,  she  was  always  **too  busy  "  to  do  so.  Her  long  serv- 
ice gave  her  great  influence.  Age  is  honored  in  the  Orient, 
and  she  was  known  and  loved  throughout  all  Jaffna.  During 
the  forty  years,  more  than  a  thousand  pupils  came  under  her 
care,  who  loved  her  as  a  mother.  She  lived  to  teach  the  chil- 
dren and  the  grandchildren  of  her  first  pupils  and  the  people 
called  her  ''the  mother  of  a  thousand  daughters."  Most  of 
the  girls  came  from  heathen  homes,  and  more  than  six  hun- 
dred of  them  went  out  from  her  care  as  earnest  Christians.  It 
is  thought  that  no  girl  who  remained  through  the  whole  of  the 
school  course  graduated  as  a  heathen. 

V.  Last  years. — i.  Visiting  Her  Old  Pupils. — Most  of  Miss 
Agnew' s  school  vacations  were  spent  in  visiting  her  old  pupils 
in  their  homes.  It  is  related  that  one  vacation  she  reserved  for 
rest  at  a  little  thatched  bungalow  on  the  northern  coast  of  Cey- 
lon,— an  event  in  her  life  ;   the  others  she  gave  to  her  girls. 

An  associate  writes  :  "  She  visited  each  station  in  the  mis- 
sion, and  it  was  understood  by  all  that  she  had  come  to  see  the 
former  Uduville  scholars.  *  Chennamma  (little  lady)  writes 
that  she  is  coming  this  week,'  a  missionary  lady  would  say  to 
the  Christian  women  at  her  station.  Their  bright,  black  eyes 
would  light  up,  and  then  they  would  look  at  each  other  shyly 
and  laugh,  and  one  more  bold  than  the  others  would  say, 
'  We  are  glad.  Now  we  must  go  home  and  see  that  the  chil- 
dren's clothes  are  mended,  and  the  yard  swept  and  everything 
made   neat.'     During   the  week  she  would  go   to   see   some 


MISS  ELIZA  AG  NEW  77 

woman,  married  and  settled  years  before.  She  would  praise 
the  yard,  the  fruit  trees,  the  neatness  of  the  cooking  utensils, 
and  the  clean  faces  of  the  children.  But  perhaps  the  cloth  of 
one  little  one  had  an  unsightly  rent.  *0h,  my  Anarche,'  she 
would  say,  *  is  this  the  way  you  learned  to  take  care  of  clothes? 
You  have  not  lost  your  needles  and  thread  down  the  well,  have 
you  ?  Now,  the  next  time  I  come,  you  must  have  the  clothes 
all  as  nice  and  neat  as  are  the  pretty  little  ones  that  wear  them.' 
So,  with  loving  praise  and  kindly  reproof,  all  the  little  matters 
of  the  household  were  noted.  The  women  grew  old  and  their 
grandchildren  took  the  place  of  their  children  ;  but  they  were 
still  her  girls  to  Miss  Agnew,  and  she  still  kept  the  same  loving 
watch  over  them,  as  in  the  first  years  when  they  went  from  the 
school  to  their  own  homes.  Is  it  surprising  that  her  name  is  in 
the  most  literal  sense  still  a  household  word  in  all  that  part  of 
Ceylon?" 

2.  At  the  time  she  resigned  her  positiofi  in  the  school  it  was 
once  more  suggested  that  she  should  make  a  visit  to  America.  She 
replied,  **  My  work  for  the  women  of  Jaffna  is  not  yet  finished. 
Guide  me,  O  Thou  great  Jehovah,  is  my  daily  prayer.  In 
that  hope  will  I  rest." 

3.  Soon  afterward  she  removed  to  Manepy,  wishing  to  spend 
her  old  age  with  the  native  Christians  there.  She  gave  her 
days  to  her  old  graduates,  visiting  them  in  their  homes,  and 
receiving  them  in  her  own  room.  She  was  especially  anxious 
over  those  of  her  pupils  who  had  gone  astray,  visiting  them 
again  and  again,  praying  with  them  and  exhorting  them  to  re- 
turn to  the  fold. 

4.  During  the  last  two  years  of  her  life,  she  was  in  the  home 
of  the  Misses  Leitch  who  felt  her  presence  to  be  a  daily  bless- 
ing. In  June,  1883,  Miss  Agnew  was  attacked  with  paralysis 
and  was  more  or  less  confined  to  her  room  till  the  end  came. 
Miss  Leitch  writes  in  her  '< Seven  years  in  Ceylon"  :  ''Near 
the  close  of  her  brief  illness  when  we  knew  that  she  had  not 
many  hours  to  live,  one  of  the  missionaries  present  asked  her  if 
he  should  ofter  prayer.  She  eagerly  assented.  He  asked  'Is 
there  anything  for  which  you  would  like  me  especially  to  pray?  ' 
She  replied,  *  Pray  for  the  women  of  Jaffna  that  they  may  come 
to  Christ.'  She  had  no  thought  about  herself;  her  thought 
was  for  the  women  of  Jaffna  that  they  might  know  Christ. 

.  At  the  very  time  she  was  asking  prayers  for  the  women 
of  Jaffna,  every  room  in  our  house  was  filled  with  native  Chris- 
tian women,  who,  when  girls,  had  been  her  pupils,  and  they 
were  praying  for  her, — that  if  it  were  the  Lord's  will  to  take 


78        MODERN  APOSTLES  OF  MISSIONARY  BYWAYS 

her  then  to  Himself,  He  would  save  her  from  suffering.  God 
heard  their  prayer  and  she  passed  away  like  one  going  into  a 
sweet  sleep." 

5.  The  fu?ieral  service  \Y2iS  diWond^rivX  gdlh^rmg.  Govern- 
ment officials,  missionary  families,  wives  of  native  pastors, 
teachers,  catechists,  a  large  concourse  of  people  gathered 
around  one  worn  old  face,  and  wept  as  though  they  had  lost 
a  mother.  ''As  we  looked  over  that  large  audience  and  saw 
everywhere  faces  full  of  love  and  eyes  full  of  tears,  and  knew 
that  to  hundreds  of  homes  she  had  brought  the  light  and  hope 
and  joy  of  the  gospel,  we  could  not  help  thinking  how  precious 
a  life  consecrated  to  Christ  may  be." 

VI.  Her  Character. — i.  Wherein  lay  her  power  ?  In  the 
sterling  integrity  of  character,  her  sense  of  justice,  and  her 
whole-souled,  straightforward  devotion  to  her  work.  Natives 
in  non-Christian  lands  are  quick  to  detect  any  little  inconsis- 
tencies or  lapses  from  the  straight  path  of  duty  in  those  who 
are  to  them  the  epitome  of  Christianity;  but  they  found  few 
flaws  here,  and  her  daily  walk  and  conversation  accomplished 
almost  as  much  as  her  direct  teaching. 

2.  Her  Guiding  Star. — There  was  no  doubt  about  the  guid- 
ing power  of  her  life, — it  was  Christ.  In  times  of  anxiety  or 
exasperating  perplexity,  she  would  give  a  little  sigh,  and  "I'll 
tell  the  Master"  was  all  she  said.  Although  engaged  so  long 
in  one  absorbing  work,  she  did  not  "hold  down  the  gospel" 
to  her  own  ideas.  Methods  changed  and  new  thoughts  pre- 
vailed in  America,  and  later  missionaries  brought  "new-fangled 
notions,"  but  she  took  an  interest  in  them  all.  That  the  gen- 
tler, more  sympathetic  side  of  her  nature  was  very  strong  is 
shown  by  the  love  she  inspired  in  all  about  her,  both  mission- 
aries and  natives. 

3.  An  evidence  of  this  is  a  letter  of  tvelcotne  which  she  sent 
to  the  Misses  Leitch  on  their  arrival  in  Ceylon  in  1880. 

"My  dear  Missionary  Sisters: 

"  With  a  warm  heart  and  inexpressible  delight  do  I  give 
you  Eliezer's  welcome,  '  Come  in,  thou  blessed  of  the  Lord.' 

"  For  two  years  past  have  we  sent  the  Macedonian  cry, 
*  Come  over  and  help  us.'  Though  I  was  so  anxious  for  two, 
yet  my  stinted  faith  would  not  allow  me  to  revel  in  the  antici- 
pation that  more  than  one  would  be  added  to  our  mission  circle. 

"I  do  rejoice  that  our  heavenly  Father  has  sent  you  to  this 
Eden  of  the  East,  and  that  you  are  allied  in  the  ties  of  nature, 
and  that  you  have  a  brother  to  aid  and  counsel  you.     This 


SIISS  ELIZA   AG  NEW  79 

society  may  prevent  loneliness  from  usurping  even  a  small  cor- 
ner of  your  hearts.  Every  day  prayer  was  offered  for  your  safety 
while  journeying  on  the  sea  and  on  the  land. 

''You  are  coming  to  a  goodly  country,  'where  every  pros- 
pect pleases,' — no  Anakims  to  fear.  Your  necessary  weapons 
Avill  be  the  living  coals  from  the  altar  of  the  Lord  in  your  hearts 
and  upon  your  lips,  and  the  sword  of  the  Spirit  in  your  right 
hands.  Fear  not :  let  timidity  have  no  place  :  press  forward  ; 
and  in  the  spirit  and  with  the  language  of  the  chief  apostle  to 
the  Gentiles,  say,  in  strong  faith,  '  I  can  do  all  things  through 
Christ  which  strengtheneth  me.'  Necessity  is  laid  upon  every 
missionary  to  inscribe  upon  his  breastplate,  '  Look  unto  Jesus,' 
and  to  follow  the  example  of  the  disciples  of  John  the  Baptist, 
who,  after  the  burial,  'went  and  told  Jesus.'  The  blood- 
bought  mercy-seat  will  appear  to  you  a  more  precious  place  in 
a  heathen  than  in  a  Christian  land.  Deprived  of  so  m.any  of 
your  spiritual  aids,  you  will  be  more  inclined  to  enter  the  holy 
of  holies,  where  Jesus  answers  prayer. 

"  I  hope  that  you  are  as  highly  favored  as  Heman's  three 
daughters,  who  could  sing  in  the  house  of  the  Lord.  And 
though  you  may  not  understand  how  to  strike  the  cymbal,  or 
make  melody  on  the  harp,  I  trust  you  can  handle  the  organ, 
and  thus  enhance  the  sweetness  of  our  music  whenever  we 
frequent  the  gates  of  Zion. 

"  I  know  of  no  other  individual  in  any  mission  who  has,  like 
myself,  remained  at  one  station  forty  years.  In  relation  to  my 
work,  in  spirit  I  know  no  change,  but  physically  I  am  weary, 
weary,  weary,  and  need,  as  Jesus  did,  to  '  turn  aside  and  rest 
awhile.'  Yours,  affectionately, 

Eliza  Agnew." 

VII.  Conclusion. — Such  is  a  meagre  sketch  of  a  pioneer  in 
work  by  single  women  for  women  and  girls.  Eliza  Agnew  was 
a  clever  woman,  and  her  strong  personality-would  have  made  her 
a  power  in  any  community,  but  she  was  not  a  genius.  She  was 
neither  beautiful  nor  brilliant,  but  she  was  a  wise,  noble,  con- 
secrated Christian  woman.  Every  talent  she  possessed,  every 
faculty  was  devoted  to  the  service  of  her  Lord  in  simple,  or- 
dinary duties  day  after  day  for  forty-three  years.  She  had  His 
blessing  and  the  results  were  such  as  angels  might  envy. 

There  are  pta;iy  such  workers  through  the  mission-fields. 
Their  names  are  little  known — as  was  Miss  Agnew 's — in 
America  in  the  hurry  and  rush  of  this  nineteenth  century.  At 
rare  intervals  a  flash-light  reveals  them,  standing  calmly  and 


80       3I0DERN  APOSTLES  OF  MISSIONARY  BYWAYS 

bravely  at  their  posts  amid  the  horrors  of  war,  and  massacre, 
of  plague  and  famine,  and  behold,  they  are  heroines,  known 
and  admired  from  one  end  of  the  world  to  the  other.  Yet, 
after  all,  is  there  less  heroism  in  patient,  plodding,  brave  and 
cheerful  lives  like  Miss  Agnew's,  in  the  appalling  darkness  of 
heathenism,  in  the  midst  of  surroundings  and  discouragements 
that  must  be  seen  to  be  appreciated  ?  Results  are  sometimes 
few,  and  long  in  coming,  but  they  have  the  Master's  approval — 
the  saving  of  immortal  souls  as  their  reward,  and  they  are  con- 
tent. 


The  Hon.  Ion  Keith-Falconer 

Pioneer  in  Arabia 
1856-1887 


BY  REV.  ARTHUR  T.  PIERSON.  D.D  * 

I.  Introductory. — History  is  ''philosophy  teaching  by  ex- 
amples ;  "  precept  reduced  to  practice ;  the  Book  of  Life  pre- 
sented in  an  illustrated,  sometimes  an  illuminated,  edition. 

1.  The  heroic  young  man  whose  brief  biography  is  now  to 
be  recorded  represented  the  very  flower  of  British  civilization ; 
and  the  lesson  of  his  short  but  beautiful  career  may  be  com- 
prehended in  one  sentence :  The  best  is  not  too  good  for  God's 
work,  and  the  length  of  life  is  not  the  measure  of  its  service. 

2.  It  is  now  forty-three  years  since  Ion  Keith-Falconer  was 
born  in  Edinburgh,  Scotland ;  and  just  then  began  an  eventful 
era  in  missions,  when  more  new  doors  were  suddenly  thrown 
open  for  missionary  labor  than  in  any  previous  decade  of  years 
since  Christ's  last  command  was  given  to  His  Church.  Born 
in  1856,  he  died  in  1887 — his  brief  life-story  on  earth  covering 
only  about  thirty  years.  Yet,  if  "  that  life  is  long  which  an- 
swers life's  great  end,"  we  must  count  these  thirty  years  as 
spanning  eternity,  for  they  v/rought  out  God's  eternal  purpose, 
and  left  a  lasting  legacy  of  blessing  to  the  young  men  of  all 
generations,  the  true  wealth  and  worth  of  which  only  eternity 
can  compute. 

II.  Keith-Falconer's  Ancestry. — Oliver  Wendell  Holmes 
quaintly  but  profoundly  said  that  the  training  of  the  child  begins 
a  hundred  years  before  its  birth.  In  other  words,  character  has 
its  law  of  heredity;  it  transmits,  at  least,  its  aptitudes.  There 
is  something  in  blood,  in  breeding,  literally  construed;  and 
young  Keith-Falconer  might  well  be  proud  of  his  lineage,  for 
in  more  senses  than  one  it  was  noble.     He  could  trace  the 

*  From  "  The  Picket  Line  of  Missions,"  by  permission  of  Eaton  & 
Mains;  copyrighted,  1897. 

81 


82       MODERN  APOSTLES  OF  MISSIONARY  BYWAYS 

stream  of  his  family  life  back  through  eight  centuries.  In  the 
year  loio,  when  Malcolm  II.  was  King  of  Scotland,  Robert 
Keith,  his  remote  ancestor,  by  his  valor  and  prowess  in  the 
battle  with  the  Danish  invaders,  won  the  title  of  Hereditary 
Great  Mareschal  of  Scotland ;  and  what  Robert  Keith  did  in 
battle  for  the  Scottish  crown  his  descendant,  long  after,  did  for 
the  crown  and  covenant  of  the  King  of  kings — he  became  a 
standard-bearer  on  the  battlefield  where  the  Moslem  and  the 
Christian  powers  meet,  to  contend  for  the  victory  of  the  ages ; 
and  he  won  a  higher  honor  and  title  than  can  be  conferred  by 
human  sovereigns  as  one  of  the  Knights  of  the  Cross. 

III.  His  Boyhood. — This  biography  may  perhaps  best  be 
studied  from  four  points  of  view  :  his  boyhood,  his  college  life, 
his  home  work,  and  his  pioneer  enterprise  on  the  shores  of  the 
Red  Sea. 

1.  The  Athlete. — The  first  period  we  may  rapidly  sketch,  as 
the  materials  are  not  abundant.  He  was  marked,  as  a  boy,  by 
four  conspicuous  qualities :  a  certain  manliness,  magnanimity, 
piety,  and  unselfishness — rare  traits  indeed  in  a  lad.  He  loved 
outdoor  sports  and  excelled  in  athletics.  Six  feet  and  three 
inches  in  height,  and  well  formed,  his  physical  presence,  when 
he  attained  full  stature,  was  like  that  of  Saul,  the  first  king  of 
Israel,  and  made  him  conspicuous  among  his  fellows.  No 
wonder  that  he  was  a  favorite  with  the  modern  advocates  of 
muscular  Christianity,  since  at  twenty  he  was  President  of  the 
London  Bicycle  Club  and  at  twenty- two  the  champion  racer  of 
Britain,  distancing  in  a  five-mile  race,  in  1878,  even  John 
Keen  himself.  Four  years  later  he  was  the  first  to  go  on  his 
wheel  from  Land's  End  to  John  O'Groat's  House — very  nearly 
one  thousand  miles ;  and  he  triumphantly  accomplished  that 
feat  in  thirteen  days — an  average  of  nearly  eighty  miles  a  day. 

2.  If  his  stalwart  manhood  won  applause,  much  more  his 
sterling  worth  as  a  man  of  iftward  strength  a7id  symmetry . 
Let  us  not  forget  that  this  champion  in  the  race  for  muscular 
superiority  was  too  strong  and  brave  in  soul  to  be  overcome  of 
his  own  lusts,  or  enticed.  He  loved  truth  in  the  inward  parts, 
and  had  no  patience  with  shams  or  frauds ;  and  he  recalls  to 
our  thought  the  famous  statue  which  represents  Veracity,  stand- 
ing with  open  face,  the  mask  of  dissimulation  lying  at  his  feet, 
cleft  with  the  sword  of  Sincerity.  He  was  not  ashamed  to 
make  the  Bible  the  one  book  he  loved  and  studied ;  and  from 
the  earliest  dawn  of  his  intelligence  he  was  a  faithful  and  loyal 
student  of  God's  Holy  Word,  and  sought  by  obedience  to  get 
ever-increasing  knowledge  of  its  true  spirit  and  meaning. 


THE  HON.   ION  KEITH-FALCONER  83 

3.  Better  than  all,  yet  by  no  means  independent  of  the  rest, 
were  his  tmselfish  piety  and  charity.  To  impart  is  the  highest 
blessedness,  though  most  of  us  do  not  learn  the  bliss  of  giving, 
if  at  all,  until  late  in  life.  A  true  benevolence  is  the  ripest 
fruit,  and  grows  on  the  topmost  branch  of  holy  living.  Yet 
this  lad  early  showed  a  deep  sympathy  with  sorrow  and  suffer- 
ing, and  his  boyhood's  days  are  even  yet  remembered  for  his 
simple  ministries  to  those  who  needed  help.  His  old  nurse  has 
told  how  he  went  about,  a  boy  of  seven,  reading  and,  in  his 
way,  explaining  the  Bible  in  the  cottages  of  poor  peasants ;  and 
how,  having  on  one  occasion  spent  his  pocket  money  for  some 
baker's  choicest  cakes,  he  bestowed  them  all,  untasted,  upon  a 
hungry  boy.  What  a  prophecy  all  this  of  the  man  who  was  to 
give  his  short  life  to  teaching  the  ignorant,  and  himself  to  be- 
come one  of  God's  barley  loaves  to  feed  dying  souls  ! 

IV.  University  Life. — i.  We  come  now  to  glance  rapidly 
at  his  college  life.  Keith-Falconer  was  an  example  of  concen- 
trated powers  of  mind  as  well  as  of  body,  of  a  fine  quality  of 
brains  as  well  as  brawn.  He  mastered  ''shorthand,"  for  in- 
stance, and  rivalled  Pitman  himself.  Those  who  want  to  see 
how  a  young  man  may  distinguish  himself  in  this  difficult  art 
would  do  well  to  read  his  article,  ''Shorthand,"  in  the  Ency- 
clopcBdia  Britamiica,  which  is  a  model  of  careful  and  compre- 
hensive statement  as  to  the  science  and  art  of  phonography. 
Although  he  might  not,  perhaps,  have  been  accounted  a  genius, 
he  had  the  genius  of  industry,  and,  by  "plodding,"  like  Wil- 
liam Carey,  achieved  distinction.  He  was  conscientious  in  his 
curriculum,  and  applied  himself  to  hard  tasks,  and  patiently 
and  persistently  overcame  obstacles,  until  he  rose  to  an  enviable 
rank  and  won  honors  and  prizes  which  the  indolent  and  indif- 
ferent never  secure.  We  shall  see,  later  on,  how  he  was  ap- 
pointed to  the  professorship  of  Arabic  at  Cambridge  University 
— a  fitting  crown  to  his  academic  career,  in  Avhich  he  success- 
fully mastered  not  only  the  regular  and  ordinary  tasks,  but 
theology,  Hebrew,  the  Semitic  languages,  and  kindred  studies, 
and  learned  the  Tonic  Sol-fa  system  of  music. 

2.  The  missiofiary  spirit  burned  in  him,  even  in  college 
days  and  within  college  walls,  though  the  atmosphere  of  a  uni- 
versity is  not  very  stimulating  to  aggressive  and  evangelistic 
piety.  The  lad  who,  at  Harrow  School,  not  yet  fourteen  years 
old,  was,  by  the  testimony  of  the  masters,  "energetic,  manly, 
and  vigorous,"  although  "neither  a  prig  nor  a  Pharisee,"  was, 
during  his  brilliant  career  at  Cambridge,  which  began  in  1874, 
not  only  fearless  in  the  avowal  of  his  Christian  faith,  but  was 


84       MODERN  APOSTLES  OF  MISSIONARY  BYWAYS 

moved  by  that  passion  for  souls  which  compels  unselfish  utter- 
ance and  effort  in  behalf  of  others. 

3.  Varied  Forms  of  Se?wice. — In  temperance  and  mission 
work  he  both  used  and  tested  his  powers  and  adaptations  as  to 
a  wider  field  of  service.  He  became  the  leader  of  a  band  of 
Christian  students  who,  in  the  old  theatre  at  Barnwell,  near 
Cambridge,  carried  on  ragged  school  work  and  similar  Gospel 
evangelism.  From  among  themselves  and  friends,  he  and  his 
fellow-workers  raised  about  eight  thousand  dollars  to  purchase 
the  building,  and  there  a  wide-reaching  service  began,  whose 
harvest  is  not  yet  v/holly  gathered  and  garnered.  In  this 
sphere  Keith-Falconer  earnestly  and  vigorously  wrought,  and 
when  he  spoke  uttered  the  clear  comm^on  sense  which  is  better 
than  ambitious  oratory. 

V.  Work  Outside  the  University. — A  field  in  London 
next  drew  him.  When  yet  but  a  lad  of  fifteen  he  had  met  F. 
N.  Charrington,  then  a  young  m.an  of  twenty-one,  who,  while 
going  afoot  through  Aberdeenshire,  had  paid  a  visit  to  the  house 
of  his  father,  the  Earl  of  Kintore.  Between  Keith -Falconer  and 
Charrington,  notwithstanding  six  years'  difference  in  their  ages, 
a  very  intimate  friendship  at  once  sprang  up,  which  bore  that 
most  blessed  fruit,  fellowship  in  holy  work  for  God  and  man. 

1.  Mr.  Charrington' s  History. — Mr.  Charrington,  now  so 
conspicuously  known  as  the  founder  and  leader  of  the  Tower 
Hamlets  Mission  in  the  East  End  of  London,  had,  two  years 
before  meeting  young  Keith-Falconer,  consecrated  his  life,  at 
the  cost  of  surrendering  a  princely  fortune  as  a  brewer,  to  up- 
lifting and  redeeming  the  East  End  drunkards  and  outcasts. 
When,  late  at  night,  he  watched  the  wretched  wives  and 
mothers  anxiously  v/aiting  for  their  husbands  outside  the  vile 
drinkshops  over  which  the  name  of  '*  Charrington,  Head  &  Co." 
shone  in  gold  and  azure,  he  felt  a  mighty  impulse  within  him 
to  break  off  the  yoke  of  the  drink  traffic ;  and,  resigning  the 
eldest  son's  birthright  share  in  the  business,  he  accepted  a 
smaller  portion,  and  even  that  he  laid  on  the  altar  of  humanity, 
resolved  that  the  money,  largely  coined  out  of  human  woe, 
should  be  dedicated  to  human  weal,  in  raising  out  of  drunken- 
ness and  vice  the  very  classes  that  the  beershop  had  dragged 
down.  Charrington  began  his  v/ork  in  a  hayloft;  from  there 
he  was  crowded  into  a  larger  hall ;  then  a  big  tent,  until,  in 
1877,  a  larger  Assembly  Hall  v/as  opened  where  tv/o  thousand 
people  were  gathered  night  after  night  for  nine  years. 

2.  Keith-Falcortcr  Joins  Him. — Keith-Falconer's  name  is 
inseparable  from  the  grand  work  of  Charrington,  and  therefore 


THE  EON.   ION  KEITH-FALCONER  85 

it  is  no  digression  to  give  that  noble  enterprise  ample  mention. 
Tlie  two  young  men,  moved  by  a  similar  impulse,  were  divinely 
knit  together,  as  were  David  and  Jonathan.  During  his  Cam- 
bridge days  Keith-Falconer  often  went  to  London  to  visit  his 
friend,  watch  his  work,  and  give  it  help.  Ke  also  took  his 
share  of  the  opposition  and  persecution  that  made  Charrington 
its  target.  He  accepted,  with  him,  the  "mobbing"  which  re- 
warded unselfish  service  to  the  degraded  slaves  of  drink,  going 
with  him  to  the  police  office,  when  his  friend  was  arrested  on 
false  charges,  as  one  that  was  turning  the  world  upside  down. 
Like  Charrington,  also,  he  had  his  reward.  He  saw  drunkards 
reformed,  gangs  of  thieves  broken  up,  public  houses  deserted 
and  for  sale  at  half  their  cost,  and  homes  redeemed  from  the 
curse  of  rum  and  crime. 

3.  During  the  fearful  winter  of  1879  the  feeding  of  hungry 
multitudes  occupied  the  attention  of  Charrington  and  his  help- 
ers, and  led  ultimately  to  the  erection  of  the  7iew  hall  which,  at 
a  cost  of  ^200,000,  stands  with  its  buildings  as  a  perpetual 
benediction  to  the  neighborhood,  and  in  which  for  over  ten 
years  untold  blessing  has  been  imparted  to  thousands  and  even 
millions.  In  that  larger  Assembly  Hall  the  writer  has  more 
than  once  spoken,  and  in  the  personal  acquaintance  of  the 
founder  and  father  of  the  enterprise  he  rejoices.  From  per- 
sonal observation,  therefore,  he  can  testify  that  in  that  grand 
audience  room  on  Mile  End  Road  five  thousand  people  gather 
under  the  sound  of  one  voice;  there,  every  night,  a  Gospel 
service  is  held ;  the  days  of  mob  violence  are  over,  and  Mr. 
Charrington  finds  stalwart  defenders  in  the  poor  victims  whose 
yoke  he  has  been  the  means  of  breaking,  and  the  v/hole  East 
End  is  gradually  being  redeemed  from  its  social  anathema. 

4.  His  Sha-r-e  in  the  Work. — In  all  this  work  Keith-Falconer 
has  an  eternal  share,  as  in  its  rev,"ard.  It  was  he  who,  as  hon- 
orary secretary,  issued  the  necessary  appeals,  himself  becoming 
a  beggar  for  funds  and  a  donor  to  the  extent  of  $10,000.  As 
a  college  student  he  would  hurry  off  to  the  metropolis  for  a 
week  at  a  time,  lend  a  hand  and  a  voice  as  needed,  visit  the 
poor,  teach  the  word,  aid  in  administrative  details,  and  then 
hurry  back  to  Cambridge  and  its  duties.  In  his  Memorials  of 
Ion  Keith- Falconer  Mr.  Sinker  says : 

"In  the  summer  of  that  year  (1886)  I  accompanied  Keith- 
Falconer  to  see  the  building,  and  we  were  taken  by  Mr.  Char- 
rington to  the  central  point  of  the  upper  gallery  of  the  great 
hall,  to  gain  the  best  general  view  of  the  room.  As  we  sat 
there  I  could  not  but  be  struck  with  the  similar  expression  on 


86       310DEEN  APOSTLES  OF  BIISSIONAEY  BYWAYS 

the  faces  of  the  two  men.  It  was  one  in  which  joy  and  keen 
resolve  and  humble  thankfulness  were  strangely  blended.  One 
great  work  for  God  which  Keith-Falconer  had  striven  hard  to 
further  he  was  allowed  to  see  in  its  full  completeness,  carried 
on  by  men  working  there  with  heartiest  and  purest  zeal.  Not 
while  any  of  the  present  generation  of  workers  survive  Avill  the 
name  of  Keith-Falconer  fade  out  of  loving  remembrance  in 
the  great  building  in  Mile  End  Road." 

5.  All  this  work  he  did  as  a  humble  layman,  who  did  not 
often  speak  in  public,  but  who  had  learned  the  secret  of  "  hav- 
ing a  talk  with  a  man,"  and  one  man  at  a  time — as  Jesus  did 
with  Nicodemus  and  the  Samaritan  woman.  This  was  his  form 
of  evangelistic  and  missio7iary  work,  getting  in  touch  with  an 
individual  soul,  and  finding  the  secret  key  that  unlocked  the 
heart — a  personal,  private  conversation  about  the  most  impor- 
tant matters.  Such  a  method  of  service  courts  no  publicity 
and  escapes  observation,  but  does  not  fail  of  recognition  in 
God's  book  of  remembrance,  where  a  special  record  is  kept  of 
those  who  think  upon  His  name  and  speak  often  one  to  another. 
For  example,  while  on  a  bicycle  tour  with  a  friend  in  Suther- 
landshire,  in  1884,  he  wrote  to  his  wife :  '*  We  had  a  job  to  get 
across  the  Kyle.  It  was  very  low  water,  and  we  had  to  wade  some 
distance  before  v/e  got  to  the  boat.  We  had  a  talk  with  the  boat- 
man, who  said  he  had  been  praying  and  searching  for  years,  but 
couldn't  find  Him."  This  modest,  unpretending  sentence, 
written  to  her  he  loved  best,  reveals  the  habit  of  the  man. 

VI.  The  Arabian  Mission. — The  fourth  and  last  period 
of  his  life  is  forever  linked  with  Arabia. 

I.  Arabic  Studies. — After  he  passed  his  last  examination  at 
Cambridge,  in  1880,  Keith-Falconer  gave  himself,  with  all  his 
concentration  of  mind,  to  the  study  of  the  Arabic,  including 
the  Koran.  First  he  got  from  books  what  preparatory  knowl- 
edge of  that  difficult  tongue  he  could,  and  then  went  to  the 
Nile,  and  at  Assiout  resided  for  some  months  with  that  well- 
known  missionary.  Dr.  H.  W.  Hogg,  to  acquire  the  colloquial 
language,  learn  the  temper  of  the  Arabic  mind,  and  study  the 
]\Ioslem  faith.  Then  he  again  sought  the  university  halls,  and 
for  three  years  longer  carried  on  his  research,  translating  the 
Kalilah    and    Dimnah,'^    and    meanwhile   filling  the  post  of 

*  These  were  the  so-called  "  Fables  of  Bidpai "  or  Pilpai,  an  Indian 
Brahman  and  gymnosophist,  of  great  antiquity.  Scarcely  any  book  but 
the  Bible  has  been  translated  into  so  many  tongues,  and  its  history  is  a 
part  of  the  histoiy  of  human  development.  Bidpai  has  been  called  chief 
of  the  philosophers  of  India. 


THE  EON,   ION  KEITH-FALCONER  87 

Hebrew   Lecturer   at   Clare   College  and  of  Theological  Ex- 
aminer. 

2.  Here  then  is  a  young  man,  not  yet  thirty,  married  to  a 
charming  woman,  Miss  Bevan,  and  in  the  midst  of  the  finest 
classical  surroundings.  Everything  was  calculated  to  root  him 
at  Cambridge,  where  before  him  lay  a  future  of  almost  un- 
limited possibilities.  He  might  have  grown  in  such  a  soil  until, 
like  the  palm,  he  overtopped  others  and  blossomed  into  a  sur- 
passing fruitfulness,  as  well  as  a  scholarly  symmetry.  Fame 
had  her  goal  and  laurel  wreath  in  sight.  But  a  higher  calling 
and  a  fadeless  crown  absorbed  him.  He  left  all  behind  him  to 
carry  the  Gospel  message  to  distant  Aden. 

3.  The  life  of  Dr.  John  Wilson,  of  Bombay,  had  opened  his 
eyes  to  the  possibilities  of  a  missionary  career,  and  about  the 
same  time  General  Haig  had  called  attention  to  Arabia  as  a 
neglected  field,  and  to  the  strategic  importance  of  this  particu- 
lar station  on  the  Red  Sea  as  a  point  of  approach  and  occupa- 
tion. Aden  as  a  military  position  controls  the  Red  Sea,  and 
in  a  mercantile  and  nautical  point  of  view  sustains  a  relation  to 
Asia  and  Africa  similar  to  that  of  Gibraltar  to  Europe  and 
Africa.  In  the  year  of  Victoria's  coronation — 1838 — the  Arab 
sultan  was  persuaded  to  cede  the  peninsula  to  England,  and  it 
was  made  a  free  port.  It  is  but  five  hundred  miles  south  from 
Mecca  and  six  hundred  and  fifty  from  Medina.  Thousands 
from  all  parts  of  Arabia  enter  the  British  territory  every  year 
and  are  compelled  to  see  how  the  peace,  order,  freedom,  and 
good  government,  there  prevalent,  contrast  with  the  tyranny 
and  anarchy  elsewhere  found. 

4.  Keith-Falconer  had  an  interview  with  General  Haig,  and 
in  1885,  in  the  autumn,  went  to  Aden  to  prospect.  On  his 
way  he  began  inducting  his  wife  into  the  mysteries  of  Ara- 
bic, and  quaintly  wrote ;  *<  Gwendolin  struggling  with  Arabic. 
Arabic  grammars  should  be  strongly  bound,  because  learners 
are  so  often  found  to  dash  them  frantically  on  the  ground." 

The  result  of  his  prospecting  tour  was  that  he  determined  to 
fix  on  Sheikh-Othman,  near  by,  as  his  station,  leaving  Aden  to 
the  Church  Missionary  Society.  He  explored  the  neighbor- 
hood, and  personally  proved  to  the  people  that  not  all  Euro- 
peans are  "  clever  people  who  get  drunk  and  have  no  religion 
to  speak  of."  He  found  camel-riding  not  very  pleasant,  and 
sa\^f  one  of  those  brutes  seize  and  shake  a  man  violently ;  and 
he  adds,  **  a  camel  will  sometimes  bite  off  a  man's  head  !  " 

5.  In  the  spring  of  1886  he  and  his  wife  were  again  in 
England^  and  on  Easter  Day,  in  the  Assembly  Hall  at  Mile 


88       3I0DEBN  APOSTLES  OF  MISSIONARY  BYWAYS 

End,  Keith-Falconer  delivered,  on  "Temptation,"  the  most 
striking  address  of  his  life.  Was  it  a  reflection  of  the  inward 
struggle  he  was  then  experiencing,  with  the  parting  of  the  ways 
before  him?  with  nobility,  wealth,  distinction,  on  the  one  hand, 
and  seclusion,  self-denial,  and  obscurity,  on  the  other? 

6.  I?i  Scotland. — In  May  he  spoke  before  the  General  As- 
sembly of  the  Free  Church  of  Scotland  on  Mohammedan  mis- 
sions, an  address  equally  impressive  in  its  way,  which  reveals 
his  purpose  and  clear  conception  of  the  possible  service  to 
which  Arabia  appealed.  He  said  that  he  had  been  again  and 
again  urged  to  go  to  Arabia  and  set  up  a  school,  and  that  one 
day  a  Mohammedan,  asking  for  a  piece  of  paper,  wrote  in  a 
mysterious  fashion,  *'  If  you  v/ant  the  people  to  walk  in  your 
way,  then  set  up  schools.''  The  man  was  a  Hadji,  returning 
from  a  pilgrimage  to  Mecca,  where  he  had  been  thoroughly 
stripped  of  all  his  money.  Keith-Falconer  offered  him  a  copy 
of  John's  gospel,  but  he  would  not  accept  it ;  and,  being  fur- 
ther questioned,  acknowledged  that  he  liked  the  historical  parts, 
but  other  parts  made  him  fearful.  He  pointed  to  the  talk  be- 
tween Christ  and  the  woman  at  Jacob's  well,  "If  thou  knewest 
the  gift  of  God,"  etc.,  "and,"  said  the  Hadji,  "that  verse 
makes  my  heart  tremble,  lest  I  be  made  to  follow  in  the  way 
of  the  Messiah." 

7.  His  Mission  Plans. — This  young  Semitic  scholar,  already 
the  greatest  [?]  living  orientalist,  saw  the  way  to  a  great  work 
at  this  southern  station  in  Arabia.  He  would  have  a  school,  a 
medical  mission,  and  a  depot  for  distributing  the  Holy  Scrip- 
tures. He  must  study  medicine  himself  and  secure  a  Chris- 
tian physician  as  his  coworker.  He  would  put  himself  under 
the  Foreign  Mission .  Board  of  the  Scottish  Church,  but  he 
would  pay  all  costs  of  the  mission  himself. 

8.  Just  at  this  point,  and  greatly  to  his  surprise,  he  was  made 
Professor  of  Arabic  at  Cambridge.  The  position  was  partly 
honorary,  its  active  teaching  depending  mostly  on  an  associate ; 
and  so  it  was  accepted,  undoubtedly  not  because  of  a  divided 
purpose,  but  because  his  mind  was  set  on  Arabia,  and  his 
Cambridge  work  would  augment  his  power  to  turn  attention  to 
its  needs.  He  gave  a  course  of  three  lectures  on  "The  Pil- 
grimage to  Mecca,"  and  on  the  evening  after  his  last  lecture 
was  again  off  for  Aden  with  his  wife  and  his  accomplished 
colleague.  Dr.  Stewart  Cowen. 

9.  Work  at  Sheikh- Othman. — This  was  November,  1886. 
He  laid  the  foundation  for  his  mission  premises  and  work,  and 
the  force  of  his  character  was  already  making  an  impression  on 


THE  HON.   ION  KEITH-FALCONER  89 

the  Moslem  mind,  so  that,  within  a  few  months,  there  were  but 
few  who  came  in  touch  with  this  ChristUke  man  who  were 
wiUing  to  admit  that  they  were  followers  of  Mohammed ;  but 
they  were  wont  to  say,  **  There  are  no  Moslems  here  !  "  The 
Gospel  in  Arabic  found  both  purchasers  and  readers  with  those 
who  had  read  in  this  grand  man  the  living  epistle  of  God. 

10.  His  Early  Passing. — But  the  Aden  fever  proved  a  fatal 
foe.  Both  Keith-Falconer  and  his  wife  were  stricken  in  Feb- 
ruary, 1887,  and  fresh  attacks  rapidly  weakened  his  stalwart 
constitution  until,  on  May  11,  he  sank  into  quiet  slumber  and 
could  no  more  be  awaked  for  service  in  this  lower  sphere. 
His  biographer,  Mr.  Sinker,  beautifully  writes  :  "It  was  indeed 
the  end.  Quietly  he  passed  away.  God's  finger  touched  him 
and  he  slept.  Slept  ?  nay,  rather  awakened,  not  in  the  close, 
heated  room  where  he  had  so  long  lain  helpless — the  weary 
nurse,  overcome  with  heat  and  watching,  slumbering  near — 
the  young  wife,  widowed  ere  she  knew  her  loss,  lying  in  an  ad- 
joining room,  herself  broken  down  with  illness  as  well  as  anx- 
iety— the  loyal  doctor,  resting  after  his  two  nights'  vigil — not 
on  these  do  Ion  Keith-Falconer's  eyes  open.  He  is  in  the 
presence  of  his  Lord ;  the  life  which  is  the  life  indeed  has 
begun." 

11.  After  five  months  of  labor  in  his  chosen  field  the  body 
of  Keith-Falconer  was  lovingly  laid  to  rest  in  the  cemetery  at 
Aden  by  British  officers  and  soldiers  of  Her  Mz^tsiy— fitting 
burial  for  one  of  the  soldiers  of  a  greater  King,  who,  with  his 
armor  on  and  his  courage  undaunted,  fell  with  his  face  to  the 
foe.  The  martyr  of  Aden  had  entered  God's  Eden.  And  so 
Great  Britain  made  her  first  offering — and  it  was  a  very  costly 
one — to  Arabia's  evangelization. 

VII.  The  Speaking  Dead. — No  doubt  there  be  those  who 
will  exclaim,  '*To  what  purpose  is  this  waste  !  "  for  this  flask 
of  costly  ointment,  broken  and  poured  out  amid  Arabia's  arid 
sands,  might  have  been  kept  in  the  classic  halls  of  Cambridge, 
and  even  yet  be  breathing  its  perfume  where  scholars  tread 
and  heroes  are  made.  To  this  and  all  such  cavils  of  unbelief 
there  is  but  one  answer,  and  it  is  all-sufficient,  for  it  is  God's 
answer:  ''What  I  do  thou  knowest  not  nov/,  but  thou  shalt 
know  hereafter." 

I.  The  Free  Church,  whose  missionary  he  was,  declares: 
**The  falling  asleep,  in  the  first  months  of  fervent  service,  of 
the  Hon.  Ion  Keith-Falconer,  in  the  extreme  Asian  outpost  in 
South  Arabia,  gives  solemn  urgency  to  his  last  appeal  to  the 
cultured,  the  wealthy,  and  the  unselfish,  whom  that  devoted  vol- 


90       MODERN  APOSTLES  OF  MISSIONARY  BYWAYS 

unteer  for  Christ  represented  when  he  addressed  them  in  these 
words  :  '  While  vast  continents  are  shrouded  in  almost  utter 
darkness,  and  hundreds  of  millions  suffer  the  horrors  of  heathen- 
ism or  Islam,  the  burden  of  proof  lies  upon  you  to  show  that 
the  circumstances  in  which  God  has  placed  you  were  meant 
by  Him  to  keep  you  out  of  the  foreign  mission  field.'  " 

2.  God  makes  no  mistakes,  and  we  are  ''immortal  till  our 
work  is  done,"  if  we  are  fully  in  His  plan.  We  may  not 
penetrate  the  arcana  of  His  secret  purposes  and  read  the  final 
issue  of  our  disappointments,  but,  as  Dr.  J.  W.  Dulles  used  to 
say,  they  are,  rightly  read,  "His  appointments."  The  short 
career  of  Keith-Falconer  is  a  lesson  such  as  never  has  been 
more  impressively  taught — that  nothing  is  too  good  to  be  given 
to  God  on  the  altar  of  missions.  Keith-Falconer's  death  sent 
an  electric  shock  through  the  British  kingdom  and  the  wider 
Church  of  Christ.  But  it  was  his  distinction  and  accomplish- 
ments that  made  it  impossible  for  his  life's  lesson  to  remain 
unread.  His  fame  gave  a  trumpet  voice  to  his  words  and 
made  his  life  vocal  with  witness.  Admiration  and  love  united 
to  draw  others  to  follow  in  the  steps  of  a  heroism  so  divinely 
self-oblivious.  The  Church  asked  for  one  volunteer  to  step 
into  the  breach,  and  thirteen  of  the  graduating  class  of  the 
New  College  at  once  responded  \  but  the  response  did  not  end 
then  or  there. 

The  very  year  of  Keith-Falconer's  death  Robert  P.  Wilder 
and  John  N.  Forman  were  going  about  among  the  colleges 
and  theological  schools  of  the  United  States  and  Canada,  ap- 
pealing for  volunteers,  from  the  very  best  of  the  educated  young 
men,  for  the  foreign  field.  And  now,  during  the  years  that 
have  passed  since  this  martyr  spirit  of  Aden  went  up  to  God, 
several  thousand  lives  of  young  men  and  women  in  Britain  and 
America  have  been  offered  to  God,  quickened  by  this  example 
of  consecration. 

The  Henry  Mart}Ti  Memorial  Hall  at  Cambridge,  the  Han- 
nington  Memorial  Hall  at  Oxford,  and  many  other  mommiefits 
of  the  dead  and  living  who  have  given  themselves  to  God's 
mission  work  are  keeping  alive  the  testimony  of  the  Cambridge 
orientalist.  He,  being  dead,  yet  speaketh,  and  no  voice  of  the 
last  half  century  is  heard  more  widely  by  the  young  men  of  the 
Church  of  Christ. 

3.  He  sought  to  ** call  attention  to  Arabia;^*  he  has  done 
it  in  a  way  and  to  an  extent  that  he  never  imagined.  The 
workman  fell,  but  the  work  goes  on.  Under  Rev.  W.  R.  W. 
Gardner  and  Dr.  Young  new  currents  of  influence  are  flowing 


THE  EON.   ION  KEITH-FALCONER  91 

into  and  through  Aden.  In  1888  a  large  number  of  Abys- 
sinian children,  who  had  been  carried  into  Arabia  from  ruined 
homes  and  massacred  families,  for  enslavement,  were  rescued 
by  a  British  man-of-war  and  put  into  school  in  this  mission  for 
Christian  training,  to  be  sent  back  to  Abyssinia  as  missionaries. 
Christian  teachers,  evangelists,  and  physicians  have  since  gone 
to  this  port  on  the  Gulf  of  Aden  to  take  up  the  work  Keith- 
Falconer  laid  down.  And  on  both  sides  of  the  Red  Sea,  in 
Africa  and  Asia,  the  mission  which  he  began  is  likely  to  be  the 
seed  of  other  enterprises  looking  to  the  evangelization  of  both 
continents. 

4.  Work  of  the  Keith- Falconer  Mission. — The  Keith-Fal- 
coner Mission  to  Arabia  has  not  come  to  its  grave  because  its 
founder  sleeps  in  the  dreary  cemetery  at  Aden.  On  these 
southern  shores  of  Arabia  stand  the  "Scots  Church"  and  the 
Church  of  England  edifices,  one  of  which  latter  is  largely  built 
from  collections  made  in  the  mail  steamers  that  ply  across  those 
waters.  The  Scots  Church,  which  is  now  building,  is  partly 
the  result  of  the  money  raised  by  the  children  of  the  Free 
Church  of  Scotland,  and  under  the  supervision  of  an  Arab 
contractor  and  workmen,  some  of  whom  are  Jews.  And  so, 
curiously  enough.  Christians,  Arabs,  and  Jews  unite  to  erect 
Christ's  houses  of  prayer  in  the  land  of  Ishmael !  Dr.  George 
Smith,  who  recently  visited  Aden,  testifies  to  the  prosperity 
and  hopefulness  of  the  congregation  there  worshipping  in  con- 
nection with  the  Scots  Church,  and  says  that  in  the  pioneering 
stage  of  the  Arab  mission  it  supplies  the  spiritual  life  and 
enthusiasm  of  common  worship  and  evangelical  effort.  Dr. 
Young  acts  as  military  chaplain  for  the  British  infantry  and 
artillery  located  at  Aden,  and  with  his  colleague  undertakes 
not  only  to  furnish  two  sermons  a  week,  but  to  meet  the  de- 
mands made  on  two  medical  missionaries  for  Arab  and  Somali, 
Jew  and  Parsee;  thus  on  one  hand  nourishing  piety  in  the 
British  residents,  and  reaching  out  on  the  other  to  the  various 
foreign,  Moslem,  Parsee,  and  other  populations  that  need  Gos- 
pel effort. 

5.  Aden's  God's  Acre. — The  British  camp  and  the  native 
town  of  Aden  lie  in  the  crater  of  an  extinct  volcano.  What 
a  typical  place  in  which  to  plant  the  Bible,  with  the  tree  of 
knowledge  and  of  life  !  And  the  Bible  is  planted  there.  On 
a  busy  corner  of  the  main  street  the  British  and  Foreign  Bible 
Society's  depot  stands,  and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lethaby  are  its  de- 
voted workers.  Near  by  stands  the  square  and  well-fenced 
inclosure,  with  its  somewhat  rude  entrance,  which  is  the  rest- 


92       MODERN  APOSTLES  OF  MISSIONARY  BYWAYS 

ing  place  of  the  body  of  Keith-Falconer.  In  the  middle  of  a 
row  of  graves  of  British  officers  and  men,  each  with  a  single 
cross  above  it,  may  be  seen  the  tomb  of  the  first  missionary 
that  Scotland  gave  to  Arabia;  who,  as  Dr.  Smith  says,  "died 
at  thirty,  one  year  younger  than  Henry  Martyn,  and  was  fol- 
lowed by  the  aged  bishop,  Valpy  French,  on  the  eastern  shore 
at  Muscat.  A  massive  block  of  white  Egyptian  marble  covers 
the  grave,  v/hile  there  rises  at  its  head  an  exquisitely  pure  slab, 
v/ith  an  inscription,  under  a  coronet  which  might  well  represent 
the  martyr's  crov>^n.  There  Dr.  Cowen,  who  was  then  his 
medical  colleague,  and  several  officers  and  men  of  her  British 
majesty's  Ninety-eighth  Regiment,  as  the  sun  set,  laid  all  that 
was  mortal  of  the  young  Scottish  noble,  scholar,  and  self-con- 
secrated missionary  of  the  Free  Church  of  Scotland.  The 
sacred  spot  is  the  first  iriissionary  milestone  into  Arabia." 

6.  Dr.  Smith  further  says — and  we  quote  the  words  of  this 
distinguished  correspondent  as  the  latest  available  information 
from  this  field : 

"As  the  Keith-Falconer  Mission,  bearing  its  founder's  name 
and  generously  supported  by  his  family,  this  first  m.odern  mis- 
sion to  the  Arab  may  be  said  to  have  begun  anew  in  the  year 
1889.  First  of  all,  Principal  Mackichan,  v/hen  on  his  return 
to  Bombay,  after  furlough,  carefully  inspected  the  Sheikh-Oth- 
rnan  headquarters,  and,  with  the  local  medical  authorities, 
reported  in  favor  of  continuing  and  extending  the  plans  of  its 
founder.  The  mission  is  now,  as  a  result  of  past  experience, 
conducted  by  two  fully  quahfied  men,  one  of  whom  is  married, 
who  are  working  in  most  brotherly  harmony,  preaching  the 
Gospel  in  Arabic  as  well  as  healing  the  sick.  Its  Arabic  and 
English  school  is  taught  by  Alexander  Aabud,  a  married  mem- 
ber of  the  Syrian  Evangelical  Church,  from  the  Lebanon,  but 
trained  in  the  American  mission  in  Egypt. 

"All  over  this  neighborhood  the  medical  mission  founded 
by  Keith-Falconer  is  making  for  itself  a  name,  and  its  doctors 
are  received,  or  visited  at  their  dispensary,  as  the  messengers 
of  God.  European  and  native  alike,  natives  from  India  and 
Africa,  as  well  as  the  Arab  camel  drivers  and  subjects  of  the 
Sultan  of  Lahej — himself  and  his  family  patients  of  the  Mis- 
sion— turn  to  the  missionaries  with  gratitude  and  hope,  and 
will  do  them  any  service.  Nowhere  has  the  influence  of  medi- 
cal missions  in  this  early  stage,  of  course  preparatory,  been  so 
remarkable  as  in  this  Yemen  corner  of  Arabia  during  the  past 
seven  years." 

VIII.  Traits  of  Character. — It  is,  perhaps,  proper,  before 


THE  HON.   ION  KEITH- FALCONER  93 

we  add  the  last  touches  to  this  imperfect  sketch  of  one  of  the 
finest,  brightest,  and  noblest  young  men  of  the  century,  that 
v/e  indicate  some  of  those  special  traits  which  shone  in  him 
and  provoke  us  to  emulation.  Among  them  we  select  the  fol- 
lowing as  most  pertinent  to  the  particular  purposes  for  which 
mainly  this  book  is  prepared,  and  with  the  prayer  that  many 
of  those  who  read  these  pages  may  follow  him  as  he  followed 
the  supreme  Exemplar  of  us  all. 

1.  First,  his  shjiplicity.  The  childlike  character,  refined  of 
what  is  merely  childish,  is  the  divine  ideal  of  human  perfec- 
tion. We  must  not  outgrov/  the  simple  artlessness,  humility, 
docility  of  childhood,  but  rather  grow  backward  toward  it 
perpetually.  The  ideal  child  is  inseparable  in  our  minds  from 
faith,  love,  truth,  and  trust ;  and  these  are  the  cardinal  virtues 
of  Christian  character.  To  learn  to  doubt,  to  hate,  to  lie,  to 
suspect,  is  to  learn  the  devil's  lessons,  and  any  approach  to 
these  is  just  so  much  progress  in  Satan's  school.  This  pioneer 
to  Arabia  never  lost  his  simple  childlikeness.  His  manhood 
was  not  an  outgrowing  of  his  boyhood,  in  all  that  makes  a 
child  beautiful  and  attractive.  He  never  put  on  airs  of  any 
sort,  but  hated  all  hollow  pretense  and  empty  professions.  His 
was  that  highest  art  of  concealing  all  art ;  in  his  most  careful 
work  he  did  not  lose  naturalness,  and  in  his  most  studied  per- 
formances there  was  no  affectation.  He  acted  out  himself — a 
genuine,  honest,  sincere  man,  who  concealed  nothing  and  had 
nothing  to  conceal. 

2.  Second,  his  eccentricity.  We  use  this  word  because  it 
has  forever  had  a  new  meaning  by  his  interpretation  of  it.  He 
was  wont  to  say  that  a  true  disciple  must  not  fear  to  be  called 
*<  eccentric."  ''Eccentric,"  said  he,  "means  '  out  of  centre' 
and  you  will  be  out  of  centre  with  the  world  if  you  are  in 
centre  with  Christ."  He  dared  to  be  one  of  God's  ^^ peculiar 
people,  zealous  of  good  works."  While  we  are  content  to  live 
on  the  low  level  of  the  average  ''professor  of  religion"  we 
shall  exhibit  no  peculiarity,  for  there  is  no  peculiarity  about  a 
dead  level.  But  if,  like  a  mountain  rising  from  a  plain,  we 
dare  to  aspire  to  higher  and  better  things,  to  get  nearer  to  God, 
to  live  in  a  loftier  altitude  and  atmosphere,  we  shall,  like  the 
mountain,  be  singular  and  exceptional,  we  cannot  escape  ob- 
servation, and  may  not  escape  hostile  criticism.  Blessed  is  the 
man  who,  like  Caleb  and  Joshua,  ventures  to  stand  compara- 
tively alone  in  testimony  to  God ;  for  it  is  such  as  these  who 
go  over  into  the  inheritance  of  peculiar  privileges  and  rewards. 

3.  Third,  his  uitselfishness.     Few  of  us  appreciate  the  de- 


94       MODERN  APOSTLES  OF  MISSIONARY  BYWAYS 

formity  and  enormity  of  the  sin  of  simply  being  absorbed  in 
our  own  things.  One  may  be  a  monster  of  repulsiveness  in 
God's  eyes  through  qualities  that  exhibit  little  outward  hateful- 
ness  and  ugliness  to  the  common  eye.  Greed,  lust,  ambition, 
pride,  envy  and  jealousy,  malice  and  uncharity,  may  not  be 
forbidden  in  man's  decalogue,  but  they  eat  away  the  core  of 
character  like  the  worm  in  the  apple's  heart.  Balzac,  in  one 
of  his  stories,  revives  the  old  myth  of  the  magic  skin  which 
enabled  the  wearer  to  get  his  wish,  but  with  every  new  gratifica- 
tion of  selfish  desire  shrank  and  held  him  in  closer  embrace, 
until  it  squeezed  the  breath  of  life  out  of  him.  And  the  myth 
is  an  open  mystery,  to  be  seen  in  daily  life.  Every  time  that 
we  seek  something  for  ourselves  only,  without  regard  to  God's 
glory  or  man's  good,  our  very  success  is  defeat ;  we  may  get 
what  we  want,  but  we  shrink,  in  capacity  for  the  highest  joy 
and  the  noblest  life. 

4.  Fourth,  his  concentration.  Paul  writes  to  the  Philippians, 
"This  one  thing  I  do."  In  the  original  it  is  far  more  terse 
and  dense  with  meaning.  He  uses  two  little  Greek  words, 
the  shortest  in  the  language  (§V  b£),  "But  one  !  "  an  exclama- 
tion that  no  words  can  interpret.  All  his  energies  were  directed 
toward  and  converged  in  one.  Our  lives  are  a  waste  because 
they  lack  unity  of  aim  and  effort.  We  seek  too  many  things 
to  attain  anything  great  or  achieve  anything  grand.  Our  ener- 
gies are  divided,  scattered,  dissipated.  Impulse  is  followed, 
and  impulse  is  variable,  unsteady,  and  inconstant,  while  prin- 
ciple is  constant,  like  the  pole  star.  We  are  too  much  controlled 
by  opinions  which  change  with  the  hour,  instead  of  by  convic- 
tions which,  being  intelligently  formed,  hold  us,  like  the  girdle 
of  truth  in  the  Christian  armor,  instead  of  our  merely  holding 
them.  It  is  possible  for  a  man  or  woman  to  gain  almost  any 
goal,  desirable  or  not,  if  the  whole  energy  be  concentrated. 
How  immense  the  importance,  then,  of  getting  a  right  purpose 
to  command  the  soul,  and  then  making  everything  else  bend 
and  bow  before  it ! 

IX.  Personal  Lessons. — i.  God  speaks  to  the  young  men 
and  women  of  our  day  as  in  trumpet  tones:  "He  that  hath 
ears  to  hear,  let  him  hear  !  "  An  example  like  that  set  before 
us  in  this  life-story  is  one  of  God's  voices.  In  Keith-Falconer 
"the  Holy  Ghost  saith,"  '' Stop  and  co7isider  T'  What  way 
is  your  life-stream  running  ?  Are  you  living  for  yourself  or  for 
God  and  for  man  ?  Every  man  is  his  brother's  keeper,  and  it 
is  fitting  that  the  first  man  who  questioned  this  should  have 
been  Cain,  his  brother's  murderer  !     Did  it  ever  occur  to  the 


THE  HON.   ION  KEITH-FALCONER  95 

reader  that  every  one  of  us  is  either  his  brother's  keeper  or 
slayer?  Every  life  is  saving  or  destroying  other  lives.  We 
lift  men  up  or  we  drag  them  down ;  there  is  no  escape  from 
responsibihty. 

2.  Keith-Falconer  saw  that  7w  man  liveth  icnto  himself  2>x\A 
no  man  dieth  unto  himself.  Life  is  bound  up  in  a  bundle  with 
all  other  life.  We  are  none  of  us  independent  of  the  others, 
and  we  cannot  escape  the  necessity  of  influencing  them  for 
good  or  evil.  Eternity  alone  can  measure  the  capacity  for 
such  influence,  for  eternity  alone  can  give  the  vision  and  the 
revelation  of  what  life  covers  in  the  reach  and  range  of  its 
mighty  forces.  It  is  a  solemn  and  august  thought  that,  to-day, 
each  one  of  us  is  projecting  lines  of  influence  in  the  unending 
hereafter.     The  life  span  is  infinite. 

3.  This  Life  but  a  Begiiming. — So  looked  upon,  this  short 
career  of  thirty  years  did  not  end  at  Aden  ten  years  ago.  That 
was  the  laying  of  a  basis  for  a  building  that  is  going  on  unseen 
and  silently,  and  whose  spires  will  pierce  the  clouds.  That 
was  the  planting  of  a  seed  for  a  tree  whose  branches  shall  shake 
like  Lebanon,  and  wave  in  beauty  and  fertility  when  the  moun- 
tains are  no  more.  That  was  the  starting  of  a  career  which  is 
still  going  on,  only  that  the  cloud  is  between  us  and  its  hidden 
future,  and  we  cannot  trace  its  onward,  upward  path. 

4.  Let  us  turn  once  more  to  that  grave  at  Aden  and  read 
the  simple  inscription : 

TO 

THE   DEAR    MEMORY   OF 

THE  HON.  ION  KEITH-FALCONER, 

THIRD    SON    OF 

THE    EARL    AND    COUNTESS    OF    KINTORE, 

WHO    ENTERED    INTO    REST 

AT   SHEIKH-OTHMAN,    MAY    II,    1887, 

AGED    30   YEARS. 

"  If  any  man  serve  me,  let  him  follow  me  ;  and  where  I  am,  there  shall 
also  my  servant  be  :  if  any  man  serve  me,  him  will  my  Father  honor." 


Bibliography 


The  readings,  found  in  this  list,  are  chosen  from  many  that  might  have 
been  suggested.  It  is  exceedingly  important  that  some  readings  at  least 
be  assigned  in  connection  with  the  various  studies,  as  the  sketches  in  the 
book  itself  are  too  brief  to  permit  of  details.  The  superior  numerals  pre- 
fixed to  their  titles  are  explained  at  the  foot  of  the  pages. 


HANS  EGEDE 

>-s  Bliss,  E.  M.  :  Encyclopaedia  of  Missions  (1891),  vol.  I.,  pp.  332,  333, 
and  article  Greenland. 

*  Brown,  W.  :  History  of  the   Propagation  of  Christianity  among  the 

Heathen,  3  vols.  (1854),  vol.  I.,  pp.  177-197. 

1  Butler,  S.  S.  :  Mission  Studies  (1895),  ch,  VHI. 

3CARSTENSEN,  A.  R. :  Two  Summers  in  Greenland  (1890),  especially  In- 
troduction and  ch.  XI. 

2CRANTZ,  D. :  History  of  Greenland,  2  vols.  (1S20),  especially  vol.  I., 

pp.  257-292. 
'-3EGEDE,  H.:  A  Description  of  Greenland  (1818). 
3  General  Encyclopaedias,  articles  Greenland. 

1-2G0DBEY,  J.  E.  and  A.  H. :  Light  in  Darkness  (1887),  ch.  XLIX. 
iGracey,  Mrs.  J.  T. :  Eminent  Missionary  Women  (1898),  pp.  186-195. 
1-2HASSELL,  J. :  From  Pole  to  Pole  (1872),  ch.  V. 

*  Hodder,  E.  :  Conquests  of  the  Cross,  3  vols.  (1890),  vol.  I.,  pp.  60-97. 

*  Maccracken,  H.  M.  and  Piper,  F.  :    Lives  of  the   Leaders  of  Our 

Church  Universal  (1879),  Life  XXXI. 
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543;  i8<pS,  pp.  500-505,  523-525.->^ 
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XVII. 
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*  Especially  recommended  for  biographical  details. 
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^  An  account  of  the  country,  people,  etc. 

07 


98  BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

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>  PiERSON,  A.  T. :  New  Acts  of  the  Apostles  (1S94),  pp.  81-84. 

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I.,  ch.  11. 
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II 

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especially  chs.  VII.,  IX.,  XII. 
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(1885),  ch.X. 

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1-2-3  CoAN,  T. :    Adventures   in   Patagonia   (1880),  especially  chs.  XVI., 

xvn. 

'  Gardiner,  A.  F. :  Narrative  of  a  Journey  to  the  Zooloo  Country  (1836), 
in  Christian  Library,  vol.  V. 

3  General  Encyclopaedias,  articles  Argentina,  Argentine  Republic,  Pata- 
gonia, Fuegia. 

»-2Godbey,  J.  E.  and  A.  H.  :  Light  in  Darkness  (1887),  ch.  XLVIII. 

1-'  Hamilton,  J. :  Memoir  of  Richard  Williams  (1854),  especially  ch.  VI. 

*  Hodder,  E.  :  Conquest  of  the  Cross,  3  vols.  (1890),  vol.  II.,  pp.  124- 

127  ;  vol.  III.,  pp.  123-139. 

*  Marsh,  J.  W. :  Allen  Francis  Gardiner  (1857). 

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'  PlERSON,  A.  T. :  New  Acts  of  the  Apostles  (1894),  pp.  110-115. 
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*  Especially  recommended  for  biographical  details. 

'  Contains  an  account  of  the  missionary's  life  and  work. 

'  Describes  the  religious  and  missionary  conditions  of  the  country. 

'An  account  of  the  country,  people,  etc. 


BIBLIOGRAPHY.  99 

3  Vincent,  F.  :    Around  and  About  South  America  (1S90),  chs.  XIV.- 

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TITUS  COAN 

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2  Banks,  M.  B.  :  Heroes  of  the  South  Seas  (1896),  ch.  XII. 

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XIIL 
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100  BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

IV 

JAMES  GILMOUR 

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*  LovETT,  R. :  James  Gilmour  of  Mongolia,  (n.  d.). 

3  Ratzel,  F.  :  History  of  Mankind  (1898),  vol.  III.,  pp.  313-349. 
3RECLUS,  E. :  Earth  and  Its  Inhabitants— Asia  (1891),  vol.  II.,  ch.  IV. 
3  Williams,  S.  W.  :  Middle  Kingdom  (1882),  vol.  I.,  pp.,  200-208. 


ELIZA  AGNEW 

'Anderson,  R.  :    History  of  the  American  Board  in  India  (1874),  chs. 

VII.,  IX. 
2-3  Bliss,  E,  M.  :  Encyclopaedia  of  Missions  (1891),  article  Ceylon. 
3  Chisholm,  G.  G.:  The  World  as  It  Is  (1884),  vol,  II.,  pp.  35-44.   " 
3 Forbes,  Major:  Eleven  Years  in  Ceylon,  2  vols.  (1840),  especiallv  vol. 

II.,  chs.  IX.,  X.,  XII. 
3  General  Encyclopaedias,  article  Ceylon. 
2G0RD0N-CuMMiNG,  C.  F. :  Two  Happy  Years  in  Ceylon,  2  vols.  (1892), 

especially  chs.  XXVI.,  XXVII. 
*Gracey,  Mrs.  J.  T. :  Eminent  Missionary  Women  (1898),  pp.  179-185. 
2GUNDERT,  H. :  Die  EvangeHsche  Mission  (1894),  pp.  297-304. 
2  Hassell,  J. :  From  Pole  to  Pole  (1872),  pp.  337-345. 
»-2  Historical  Sketch  of  tlie  Ceylon  Mission  (1865). 

*  Especially  recommended  for  biographical  details. 

'  Contains  an  account  of  the  missionary's  life  .-jnd  work. 

-  Describes  the  religious  and  niissionai-y  condi.tjo^is  of  the  country. 

'An  account  of  the  country,  people,  etc. 


BIBLIOGBAPHY.  101 

2  Rowland,  S.  W.  :  Jaffna  College  (1898). 

3  Hurst,  J.  F. :  Indika  (1891),  chs.  XXIV.-XXVI. 

2  Langdon,  S.  :  The  Appeal  to  the  Serpent  (n.  d.), 

2-3  Leitch,  M.  and  M.  W. :  Ceylon  the  Key  to  India  (1898). 
*2-3Leitch,  M.  and  M.  W. :  Seven  Years  in  Ceylon  (1890),  especially 
ch.  XXVIII. 

3  Missionary  Conference,  South  India  and  Ceylon,  2  vols.  (1890),  vol.  I., 

pp.  293-328. 
^•^  Missionary  Review  of  ike  World,  iSgo,  pp.  596-600  ;*  iSgy,  pp.  256- 

260. 
3RECLUS,   E. :    Earth  and   Its   Inhabitants — Asia   (1891),  vol.   III.,  ch. 

XVI. 
2  Student  Missionary  Appeal  (1898),  Consult  Ceylon  in  Index. 
2TENNENT,  J.  E. :  Progress  of  Christianity  in  Ceylon  (1850). 


VI 

ION  KEITH-FALCONER 

'Bliss,  E.  M.  :  Encyclopaedia  of  Missions  (1891),  articles  Arabia,  Arabic 

Versions  of  the  Bible,  and  Mohammedanism. 
*  Broomhall,  B.  :  The  Evangelization  of  the  World  (n.  d.),  pp.  172-176. 
3CHISH0LM,  G.  G. :  The  World  as  It  Is  (1884),  vol.  I,,  pp.  414-421. 
3  General  Encyclopeedias,  article  Arabia. 
2  Harrison,  Mrs.  J.  W. :  A.  M.  Mackay  (1890),  ch.  XIV. 
»  HoDDER,  E. :  Conquests  of  the  Cross,  3  vols.  (1890),  vol.  III.,  pp.  223- 

227. 

2  Jessup,  H.  H.  :  Kamil  (1898),  especially  Appendix. 

Keane,  a.  H.  :  Stanford's  Compendium  of  Geography  and  Travel — Asia 
(1896),  vol.  II.,  ch.  VII. 

3  Keltie,  J.  S.  and  Renwick,  I.  P.  A. :  Statesman's  Year  Book,  consult 

Index  under  Aden  and  Turkish  Empire, 
^•^  Missionary  Revie^v  of  the  World,  i8gs,  pp.  747-75°;  ^Sg_$,  pp.  730- 

737 ;  J8g6,  pp.  735-739 ;  ^Sgy,  pp.  748-753  ;  ^SgS,  p.  569  (picture 

of  Keith- Falconer  Memorial  Church) ;  i8gg,  pp.  721-737. 
2  Mission    Field    (Reformed    Church    of    America),    October    numbers, 

1893-99. 
3RATZEL,  F. :  History  of  Mankind  (1S98),  vol.  III.,  pp.  204-222. 
3RECLUS,  E. :  Earth  and  Its  Inhabitants, — Asia  (1891),  vol.  IV.,  ch.  X. 
^«- Sinker,  R.  :  Memorials  of  the  Hon.  Ion  Keith-Falconer  (1890). 
2  Student  Missionary  Appeal  (1898),  pp.  89-93,  402-404. 
2  Wright,  T.  :  Early  Christianity  in  Arabia  (1856). 

*  Especially  recommended  for  biographical  details. 

*  Contains  an  account  of  the  missionarj^'s  life  and  work. 
'Describes  the  religious  and  missionary  conditions  of  the  country. 
'An  account  of  the  country,  people,  etc. 


ANALYTICAL  INDEX 

Besides  indicating  the  location  of  important  topics,  this  Index  is  also 
intended  for  use  in  preparing  the  various  studies.  Having  read  over  its 
analytical  outline  before  taking  up  each  study,  the  student  sees  exactly 
what  ground  is  covered  by  the  section  to  be  mastered.  So,  too,  after 
having  studied  tliis  section,  its  outline  can  again  be  used  in  lieu  of  ques- 
tions put  by  a  teacher,  thus  enabling  the  student  to  see  what  topics  have 
been  forgotten.  The  numerals  following  each  topic  and  sub-topic  refer 
to  the  pages  where  they  may  be  found. 


HANS   EGEDE,    1686-1758 

[Study  I.] 

I.     Egede  and  his  enterprise,  7-11. 

1.  Inception  of  the  idea,  7. 

2.  Norway's  favoring  position,  7,  8. 

3.  Seeming  impracticability  of  the  plan,  8. 

4.  Egede's  memorial  to  Bishop  Krog,  8. 

5.  Vehement  family  opposition  ;  wife  yields,  8,  g. 

6.  Memorial  to  Frederick  IV.;  defamation  of  character,  9. 

7.  Egede  resigns  his  pastorate,  9. 

8.  He  is  t'orced  to  suggest  a  secular  scheme,  9,  10. 

9.  Royal  order  calling  for  investigation  ;  failure,  10. 
10.  Egede  finally,  in  1721,  meets  with  success,  10,  11. 

II.     Voyage  and  arrival,  11. 

III.  The  Greenlanders,  11,  12. 

1.  Disappointed  with  them,  and  the  reasons  therefor,  ir. 

2.  Learning  the  vernacular  ;  pencil  sketches,  11. 

3.  Difficulties  encountered  in  teaching  the  Eskimos,  11,  12. 

IV.  Egede's  trials  as  head  of  the  Colony,  12-14. 

1.  He  had  to  combat  depres'^ion  among  colonists,  12. 

2.  Mrs.  Egede's  fortitude  and  trust,  12. 

3.  Failure  and  withdrawals,  12,  13. 

4.  Triumph  of  loyalty  to  his  purpose,  13. 

5.  Efiect  of  colonial  cares  on  his  body  and  mind,  13. 

6.  The  smallpox  scourge  and  Egede's  devotion,  13,  14. 

7.  Death  of  his  wife  in  1735,  14. 
V.     Egede  as  a  missionary,  14,  15. 

1.  Spiritual  success  difficult  because  of  secular  cares,  14. 

2.  Mistaken  theory  that  civilization  must  precede  Christianity,  14. 

3.  Christianity  the  surest  method  of  improving  savage  social  conditions,  14,  15. 
VI.     Egede's  return  home  and  subsequent  history,  15,  16. 

VII.     His  life-work  not  a  failure,  16-18. 

X.  He  founded  a  permanent  colony,  16. 

2.  Similar  government  undertakings  not  successful,  16. 

3.  Disaster  has  also  attended  other  secular  enterprises  in  the  Polar  regions,  16,  17. 

4.  Egede's  life  met  the  test  of  Christian  fidelity,  17,  18. 

(i)  Faithful  to  the  conviction  that  Christians  are  debtors  to  the  unevangel- 
ized,  17.  (2)  Proven  by  his  fifteen  years"  martyrdom  in  Greenland, 
17,  18. 

5.  He  was  the  pioneer  of  later  Greenland  missionaries,  18. 

6.  His  life  not  a  failure  in  motive  and  quality,  18. 
VIII.     The  present  condition  of  Greenland,  18. 

1.  Christian  and  governmental  conditions,  iS. 

2.  Two  similitudes,  18, 

103 


104  ANALYTICAL  INDEX    . 

II 

ALLEN    GAKDINER,    1704-1851 

[Study  II.] 

I.     Introductory,  19. 

1.  Gardiner  a  pioneer  for  sixteen  years  before  settling  in  Soutli  America,  19. 

2.  Reasons  why  he  continued  as  layman,  19. 
II.     His  boyhood,  19. 

III.  Gardiner  as  a  naval  officer,  20. 

1.  Distinguished  as  a  midshipman,  20. 

2.  Circumstances  leading  to  his  conversion,  20. 

3.  Consecration  to  missions  ;  wife's  death  and  his  vow,  20. 

IV.  His  missionary  life  in  South  Africa,  20-22, 

1.  Pioneer  experiences,  20,  21. 

2.  His  labors  at  Port  Natal,  21. 

3.  He  becomes  Dingairn's  plenipotentiary  there,  21,  22. 

4.  Visits  England  and  secures  a  missionary  staff,  22. 

5.  Reasons  leading  to  abandonment  of  the  mission,  22. 
V.     Looking  for  a  new  field,  22,  23. 

1.  Gardiner  for  two  years  visits  various  parts  of  South  America,  22,  23. 

2.  He  vainly  prospects  in  New  Guinea,  23. 

VI.     His  settlement  and  work  in  South  America,  23-26. 

1.  Gardiner's  plan  as  originally  held,  23. 

2.  Leaving  his  family  in  the  Falklands,  he  goes  to  Feugia,  23. 

3.  In  Patagonia,  24. 

4.  Disappointments  and  return  to  England,  24. 

5.  Distributes  Bibles  in  eastern  South  American  ports,  24. 

6.  Again  returns  to  England  and  lays  foundations  of  the  South  American  Mis- 

sionary Society,  24. 

7.  New  reverses  in  Patagonia,  25, 

8.  Charge  of  fickleness  and  rejoinder,  25, 

9.  Further  efforts  to  locate,  25,  26. 

(i)  Gardiner's  resolution  unshaken  by  failure,  25,     (2)  Journeys  in  Bolivia 
and  England  ;  reinforcements,  25,  26. 
10.  His  modified  plans,  26. 
VII.     Deeds  of  Gardiner  and  his  six  associates,  26,  27. 

1.  Their  personnel  and  character,  26. 

2.  Disasters  leading  to  their  death,  26,  27. 
VIII.     Reports  of  relief  parties,  27,  28. 

1.  Captain  Smyly's  narrative,  27, 

2.  Report  of  Captain  Morshead,  27,  28. 
IX.     Last  days  and  burial,  2S-30. 

I.  Psalm  Ixii.  5-8,  28. 

a.  Details  from  the  diaries,  28,  29. 

3.  Last  glimpse  of  Gardiner  ;  his  last  words,  29. 

4.  Account  of  the  burial,  29. 

5.  Allen  Gardiner's  legacy,  29,  30. 

(i)  His  suggested  methods,  29.     (2)  The  memorial  ship,  Allen  Gardiner, 
^9)  3°-     (3)  Poem  on  his  death,  30. 

Ill 

TITUS   COAN,    1801-1882 

[Study  III.] 

I.     Coan's  early  years,  31,  32. 

1.  Birth  and  education,  31. 

2.  Goes  to  prospect  in  Patagonia,  31,  31. 

(1)  He  and  Mr.  Arms  in  Gregory  Bay,  31.     (2)  Experiences  with  savages  ; 
escape  and  return  home,  31,  32. 

3.  Marriage  and  embarkation  in  1834,  32. 

4.  Voyage  and  arrival  in  1835,  32. 
II.     His  Hawaiian  parish,  32,  33. 

III.     At  work  in  Hilo,  33,  34. 

1.  Preview  of  his  labors,  33. 

2.  Earlier  work  and  workers  in  Hilo,  33. 

3.  Doings  of  his  first  year,  33,  34. 

4.  Preludes  to  Pentecost,  34. 

(1)  Indications  in  a  tour  of  1835,  34.     (2)  The  tours  of  1836,  34. 


ANALYTICAL  INDEX  105 

IV.     Revival  scenes  of  1837-38,  34-38. 

1.  Hungering  multitudes  gather  and  are  taught,  34,  35. 

2.  A  typical  assembly  described,  35. 

3.  Coan's  management  of  these  meetings,  35. 

4.  Effects  of  his  sermons,  35,  36. 

(i)  Physical  manifestations,  35,  36.     (2)  Objection  raised  and  answered,  36. 

5.  The  volcanic  wave  of  Nov.  7,  1837,  3^>  37- 

6.  Secrets  of  blessing,  37. 

7.  His  wisdom  and  strength  as  revealed  in  his  letters,  37,  38, 
V.     Coan's  parish  work,  38-40. 

1.  Methods  used  to  keep  track  of  his  parishioners,  38. 

2.  His  care  for  the  children,  38. 

3.  Plans  for  systematic  and  general  evangelization,  38,  39. 

(1)  His  employment  of  church  members,  38,  39.  (2)  Two  days'  work,  39. 
(3)  Coan's  joy  and  solicitude,  39. 

4.  Training  and  sifting  candidates,  39. 

5.  Communion  seasons  and  ingatherings,  39,  40. 
VI.     A  memorable  Sunday  in  1838,  40,  41. 

1.  Day  of  greatest  accession  ;  the  communion  service,  40, 

2.  The  baptism  of  1,705  candidates,  40. 

3.  The  ensuing  communion  scene,  40,  41. 
[Study  I  V.J 

VII,     Abiding  results  of  his  labors,  41-43. 

1.  Reactions  not  frequent  ;  progress  notwithstanding,  41.  42. 

2.  Comparison  of  Hilo  in  point  of  faith  and  morals  with  New  England,  43. 

3.  Division,  in  1867,  of  his  church  into  seven,  42. 

4.  Monthly  concert  and  beneficence  in  these  churches,  42, 

5.  Missionary  enterprises  undertaken,  42,  43. 

(i)  Native  mission   to    Micronesia,    42,   43,     (2)  A  missionary  packet,  43. 

(3)  Coan's  two  voyages  on  the  Morning  Star,  43. 
VIII.     Mrs.  Coan's  work  and  character,  43. 

1.  Her  various  activities,  43. 

2,  Her  death  and  character,  43. 

IX.     Titus  Coan's  characteristics  and  final  years,  44,  45. 

1.  Appreciation  of  the  beauty  and  grandeur  of  nature,  44. 

2.  His  contributions  to  Science,  44. 

3.  Second  marriage,  44. 

4.  His  last  days,  44,  45. 

5.  Appropriate  closing  of  an  apostolic  life,  45. 

IV 

JAMES    GILMOUR,    1843-189I 

I.    Gilmour's  ancestry  and  parents,  46,  47. 
X.  His  grandparents,  46. 

(i')  Paternal  grandparents,  46.     (2)  Maternal  grandfather,  46. 
».  Tne  home  and  its  influences,  46,  47. 

(i)  Character  of  his  parents,  46,  47.     (2)  Family  worship,  47.     (3)  Sundays, 
47. 
II.    Preparation  for  his  life-work,  47-52. 
I.  Description  of  his  boyhood,  48, 

(i)  The  schools  attended,  48.     (2)  Gilmour's  account  of  these  early  days, 
48.     (3)  Outside  of  school,  48. 
3.  University  life  at  Glasgow,  48,  49. 

(i)  Its  leading  features,  48,  49.  (2)  Mr.  Paterson's  account  of  Gilmour's 
student  days,  49.     (3)   Effect  of  his  religious  life  upon  others,  49. 

3.  The  life  decision,  49,  50. 

(i)  Time  when  it  was  made,  49.  (2)  Common  sense  reasons,  40,  50.  (3)  In- 
fluenced by  Christ's  command,  50.  (4)  Moral  effect  of  his  decision 
on  fellow-students,  50. 

4.  Gilmour's  theological  preparation,  50,  51. 

(i)  Cheshunt  College  and  its  new  feature,  50.  (2)  Strong  impulses  dating 
from  that  point,   50,  51.     (3)   Pen  picture  of  his  seminary  days,   51, 

(4)  His  prayer  life,  51. 

5.  Final  training  at  Highgatc,  51,  52. 

(i)  Character  of  the  institution,  51,  (2)  Feelings  as  he  faced  his  lonely 
future,  52. 


106  ANALYTICAL  INDEX 

[Study  V.] 

III.  Gilmour's  missionary  apprenticeship,  52,  53. 

1.  Experiences  on  the  voyage  out,  52. 

2.  'I'hree  months  at  Peking  at  time  of  Tientsin  massacre,  52,  53. 

3.  Goes  to  Kalgan  on  the  Mongolian  frontier,  53. 

IV.  The  Mongolian  field,  53. 

1.  Mongolia's  place  in  history,  53. 

2.  Land  of  the  Nomad  Mongols,  53,  54. 

3.  The  Agricultural  Mongols,  54. 

V.    Account  of  Gilmour's  chosen  people,  54-56. 

1,  The  lamas  described  and  characterized,  54,  55. 

2.  The  blackmen  or  laity,  55,  56. 

(i)  Corrupted  by  example  of  lamas,  55.  (2)  Religious  away  from  home,  55. 
(3)  Tent  religion,  55,  56.     (4)  Other  characteristics,  56, 

VI.     Foundations  laid  before  Gilmour's  arrival,  56^58. 

1.  The  London  Missionary  Society  pioneers,  56,  57. 

2.  Work  of  the  Moravians,  57. 

3.  Rev.  J.  T.  Gulick's  work,  57. 

4.  Mongolian  Buddhism  in  its  relation  to  missionary  work,  57,  58. 

(i)  Its  helpful  features,  57.  (2)  Its  greater  evils,  57,  58.  (3)  The  balance, 
58. 

VII.     First  lessons  in  Mongolia,  58-60, 
I.  Learning  the  language,  58,  59. 

(i)  Unprofitable  beginnings,   58.     (2)  Learning  in  a  lama's  tent,  58.     (3) 
Advantages  of  this  method,  59.     (4)  Its  drawback,  59. 
a.  Learning  the  ways  of  the  people,  59. 

3.  Entering  into  their  thought  life  ;  illustration,  59,  60. 

4.  Learning  the  danger  of  living  without  foreign  companionship,  60. 

5.  Testing  prayer  as  a  mode  of  work,  60. 

6.  The  hardest  lesson  to  learn  that  of  patience,  60. 
VIII.     Gilmour  as  itinerating  evangelist,  60-64. 

1.  Modes  of  travel,  61. 

(i)  Various  methods  tried,  61,     (2)  Advantages  of  horseback  riding,  61. 

2.  A  Mongol  interior,  61,  62. 

(i)  His  own  tent  described,  61,  62.  (2)  Description  of  native  tent  and  eti- 
quette, 62.     (3)  Mongol  fare,  62.     (4)  Retiring  at  night,  62. 

3.  The  evangelist  at  work,  62-154. 

(i)  His  apparatus,  62,  63.  (2)  Gospels  not  advisable  at  first,  63.  (3)  Some 
stumbling-blocks  in  the  Mongol's  way,  63.  (4)  A  Mongol's  questions 
as  to  our  religion,  63,  64. 

4.  The  perfected  fruitage  of  this  work  ;  Boyinto,  64. 

[Study  VI.] 
IX.     His  work  as  a  lay  physician,  64,  65. 

1.  The  diseases  encountered,  64. 

2.  His  success  leads  to  odd  requests,  64,  65. 

3.  Some  limitations  experienced  by  Mongolian  missionaries,  65. 

4.  Gilmour's  views  as  to  value  of  medical  missions  in  Mongolia,  65. 

(i)  Its  great  usefulness,  65.     (2)  Are  /ay  physicians  to  be  tolerated?  65. 
X,     Gilmour  in  other  relations,  65-67. 

1.  His  married  life,  65,  66. 

(i)  Courtship  and  marriage,  65,  66.  (2)  Mrs.  Gilmour's  character  and 
death,  66. 

2.  His  love  for  the  three  boys,  66, 

3.  Relation  to  fellow-missionaries,  66,  67, 

4.  Divergence  from  common  views  and  practices,  67. 

(i)  Becomes  all  things  to  the  Mongol,  67.     (2)  His  total  abstinence  views, 
67.     (3)  Attitude  toward  literature,  67,     (4)  Prayerfulness,  67. 
XI.     "  Through  the  Gates  into  the  city,"  67-69. 

1.  The  last  Annual  Meeting,  68. 

(i)  Preparation  therefor,  68,  (a)  His  part  in  the  meetings,  68.  (3)  Latest 
written  message,  68, 

2.  Illness  and  death,  68,  69. 
Xll.     Funeral  and  tribute,  69. 

The  burial,  60. 
i)  Details,  69.     (2)  "  There  remains  a  rest,"  69. 
'he  strength  of  Gilmour's  life,  69. 


2.  Th 


ANALYTICAL   INDEX  lO: 


MISS  ELIZA  ag:;e\v,  1S07-1383 

I.     Her  early  life,  70. 

1,  Decides  to  be  a  missionary  in  childhood,  70. 

2.  Her  conversion  and  activity,  70. 
n.     Entrance  into  missionary  life,  71. 

1.  Her  reasons  for  being  a  missionary,  71. 

2.  Testimony  of  intimate  friends,  71. 

3.  Voyage  and  arrival,  71. 

(i)  Her  fellow-travelers,  71.     {2)  Their  expectations  on  the  journey,  71. 
HI.     Ceylon  and  the  Singhalese,  71,  72. 

1.  Brief  description  of  the  country,  71,  72. 

2.  The  women  and  girls,  72. 

IV.     Uduville  Seminary  and  Miss  Agnew's  work,  72-76. 

1.  Interest  in  her  coming,  72, 

2.  Early  years  of  the  school,  72, 

■   3.  Desirability  and  difficulty  of  establishing  boarding  schools,  72,  73. 

4.  Story  of  the  first  girls  to  enter  it,  73. 

5.  Established  as  the  "Central  Boarding  School"  ;  described,  73, 

6.  Its  remarkable  religious  history,  74,  75. 

(i)  Powerful  revivals,  74.     (2)  Girl's  letter  describing  one,  74,  75. 

7.  Its  semi-centennial  celebration,  75,  76. 

(i)  Persons  present  and  addresses,  75.     (2)  Offerings  made,  75,  76.     (3)  The 
"  Spaulding  and  Agnew  fund,"  76, 

8.  Her  long  and  fruitful  service  in  the  seminary,  76. 
[Study  VII.] 

V.     Miss  Agnew's  last  years,  76-78. 

1.  Visiting  her  early  pupils  ;  an  associate's  description,  76,  77, 

2.  Her  resignation  does  not  permit  her  to  return  home,  77. 

3.  She  removes  to  Manepy,  77. 

4.  The  last  two  years  and  her  death,  77,  78. 

5.  A  remarkable  funeral  service,  78. 
VI.     Her  character,  78,  79, 

1.  Secret  of  her  power,  78. 

2.  Her  guiding  star,  78. 

3.  Letter  of  welcome  to  the  Misses  Leitch,  78,  79. 
V'll.     Conclusion,  79,  80. 

I.  Characterization  of  her  life,  79. 

a.  Many  other  equally  heroic  missionary  women,  79,  80, 


VI 

ION    KEITH-FALCONER,    1856-1887 

I,     Introductory,  8i. 

1.  Lesson  of  this  biography,  8i. 

2.  His  life  spent  in  an  eventful  period,  8i. 
II.     Keith-Falconer's  ancestry,  8i,  82. 

III.  His  boyhood,  82,  83. 

1.  Characteristics  of  the  boy  ;  an  athlete,  82. 

2.  Inward  strength  and  symmetry,  82. 

3.  His  unselfish  piety  and  charity,  83. 

IV.  Keith-Falconer's  university  life,  83,  84. 

1.  His  powers  of  mind  and  specialties,  83. 

2.  His  missionary  spirit,  83,  84. 

3.  Varied  forms  of  service,  84. 

V.     Work  outside  the  university,  84-86. 

1.  Mr.  Charrington's  liistory,  84. 

2.  Keith-Falconer's  connection  with  his  work,  84,  85. 

3.  Erection  of  the  new  Charrington  Hall,  85. 

4.  Keith-Falconer's  share  in  work  of  this  hall,  85.  86. 

5.  His  method  of  evangelistic  and  missionary  work,  86. 


108  ANALYTICAL  INDEX 

[Study  VIII.] 
VI.     The  Arabian  Mission,  86-S9. 

1.  His  Arabic  studies  and  translations,  86,  87. 

2.  Flattering  prospects  at  Cambridge,  87. 

3.  Possibilities  of  a  missionary  career,  87. 

4.  Goes  to  Aden  to  prospect,  87. 

(i)   His  wife's  struggle  with  Arabic,  87.     (2)  Result  of  his  tour,  S7. 

5.  Again  in  England  ;  an  address,  87,  83. 

6.  In  Scotland  ;  before  the  General  Assembly,  88. 

7.  His  mission  plans,  88. 

8.  Made  Professor  of  Arabic  at  Cambridge;  lectures,  88. 

9.  Work  at  Sheikh-Othman,  88,  89. 

10.  His  early  death,  89. 

11.  Burial  at  Aden,  89. 

VII.     The  results  of  his  work,  89-92, 

1.  His  last  appeal,  89,  90. 

2.  Effect  produced  by  news  of  his  death,  90. 

(1)  Nothing  too  good  for  missions,  90.     (2)  Succeeded  in  spirit  by  American 
students,  90.     (3)  Halls  at  Cambridge  and  Oxford,  90. 

3.  Attention  called  to  Arabia,  90,  91. 

4.  Work  of  the  Keith-Falconer  Mission,  91. 

5.  Aden's  God's  acre,  91,  92. 

6.  Dr.  G.  Smith's  statement  concerning  the  field,  92. 

(i)  "The  force,  92.     (2)  Good  work  of  medical  missionaries  there,  92. 
VIII.     Traits  of  character,  92-94. 

1.  His  simplicity,  93. 

2.  His  "eccentricity,"  93. 

3.  His  unselfishness,  93,  94. 

4.  His  concentration,  94. 

IX,     Personal  lessons  from  Keith-Falconer's  life,  94,  95. 

1.  His  life  an  appeal  to  stop  and  consider,  94,  95. 

2.  No  man  liveth  unto  himself,  95, 

3.  This  life  but  a  beginning,  95.' 

4.  The  epitaph  at  Aden,  95. 


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Date  Due 

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